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Notes,  critical, 
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NOTES, 


EXPLANATORY  AND  PRACTICAL, 


ON  TBB 


EPISTLE  TO  THE    HEBREWS, 


BY  ALBERT  BARNES. 


NEW  YORK: 
HARDER  &  BROTHERS,   82  CLIFF  STREET. 

1848. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1843,  by 

Albert  Barnes, 

in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District 

of  Pennsylvania. 


INTRODUCTION. 


§  1.  Preliminary  Remarks. 

J.T  need  not  be  said  that  this  epistle  has  given  rise  to  much  discussion 
iimong  %vriters  on  the  New  Testament.  Indeed  there  is  probably  no  part  of 
the  Bible  in  regard  to  which  so  many  conflicting  views  have  been  entertained. 
The  name  of  the  author ;  tlie  time  and  place  where  the  epistle  was  written ; 
the  character  of  the  book ;  its  canonical  authority  ;  the  language  in  which 
it  was  composed  ;  and  the  persons  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  all  have  given 
rise  to  great  difterence  of  opinion.  Among  the  causes  of  this  are  the  fol- 
lowing : — The  name  of  the  author  is  not  mentioned.  The  church  to  which 
it  was  sent,  if  sent  to  any  particular  church,  is  not  designated.  There  are 
no  certain  marks  of  time  in  the  epistle,  as  there  often  are  in  the  writings  of 
Paul,  by  which  we  can  determine  the  time  when  it  was  written. 

It  is  not  the  design  of  these  Notes  to  go  into  an  extended  examination  of 
these  questions.  Those  who  are  disposed  to  pursue  these  inquiries,  and  to 
examine  the  questions  which  have  been  started  in  regard  to  the  epistle,  can 
find  ample  means  in  the  larger  works  that  have  treated  of  it ;  and  especially 
in  Lardner  ;  in  Michaelis'  Introduction  ;  in  the  Prolegomena  of  Kuinoel ;  in 
Hug's  Introduction  ;  and  PAnTicuLARLr  in  Prof.  Stuart's  invaluable  Com- 
mentary on  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  No  other  work  on  this  portion  of 
the  New  Testament  is  so  complete  as  his,  and  in  the  Introduction  he  has  left 
nothing  to  be  desired  in  regard  to  the  literature  of  the  Epistle. 

Controversies  early  arose  in  the  church  in  regard  to  a  great  variety  of  ques- 
tions pertaining  to  this  epistle,  which  are  not  yet  fully  settled.  Most  of  those 
questions,  however,  pertain  to  the  literature  of  the  epistle,  and  however  they 
may  be  decided,  are  not  such  as  to  affect  the  respect  which  a  Christian  ought 
to  have  for  it  as  a  part  of  the  word  of  God.  They  pertain  to  the  inquiries,  to 
whom  it  was  written  ;  in  what  language,  and  at  what  time  it  was  composed  ; 
questions  which,  in  whatever  way  they  may  be  settled,  do  not  affect  its  ca- 
nonical authority,  and  should  not  shake  the  confidence  of  Christians  in  it  as 
a  part  of  divine  revelation.  The  only  inquiry  on  these  points  which  it  is 
proper  to  institute  in  these  Notes  is,  whether  the  claims  of  the  epistle  to  a 
place  in  the  canon  of  Scripture  are  of  such  a  kind  as  to  allow  Christians  to 
read  it  as  a  part  of  the  oracles  of  God  ?  May  we  sit  down  to  it  feeling  that 
we  are  perusing  that  which  has  been  given  by  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
as  a  part  of  revealed  truth  ?  Other  questions  are  interesting  in  their  places, 
and  the  solution  of  them  is  worth  all  which  it  has  cost ;  but  they  need  not 
embarrass  us  here,  nor  claim  our  attention  as  preliminary  to  the  exposition 
of  the  epistle.  All  that  will  be  attempted,  therefore,  in  this  Introduction,  will 
be  such  a  condensation  of  the  evidence  collected  by  others,  as  shall  show  that 
this  epistle  has  of  right  a  place  in  the  volume  of  revealed  truth,  and  is  of 
authority  to  regulate  the  faith  and  practice  of  mankind. 

iii 


T  INTRODUCTION. 

§  2.  To  wfiom  was  Jke  Epistle  written  ? 

It  purports  to  have  been  written  to  the  "  Hebrews."  This  is  not  found, 
indeed,  in  the  body  of  the  epistle,  though  it  occurs  in  the  subscription  at  the 
end.  It  differs  from  all  the  oilier  epistles  of  Paul  in  this  respect,  and  from 
most  of  the  others  in  the  New  'i'eslamont.  In  all  of  the  other  epistles  of 
Paul,  the  church  or  person  to  whom  the  letter  was  sent  is  specified  in  the 
commencement.  This,  however,  commences  in  the  form  of  an  essay  or  ho- 
mily ;  nor  is  there  anywhere  in  the  epistle  any  direct  intimation  to  what 
church  it  was  sent.  The  subscription  at  the  end  is  of  no  authority,  as  it  can- 
not be  supposed  that  the  author  himself  would  affix  it  to  the  epistle,  and  as 
it  is  known  that  many  of  those  subscriptions  are  false.  See  the  remarks  at 
the  close  of  the  Notes  on  Romans,  and  I.  Corinthians.  Several  questions 
present  themselves  here  which  we  may  briefly  investigate. 

(I.)  What  is  the  evidence  that  it  was  written  to  the  Hebrews?  In  reply 
to  this  we  may  observe  (1.)  That  the  inscription  at  the  commencement, 
"  The  Epistle  of  Paul  the  Apostle  to  the  Hebrews,"  though  not  affixed  by 
the  author,  may  be  allowed  to  express  the  current  sense  of  the  church  in  an- 
cient times  in  reference  to  a  question  on  which  they  had  the  best  means  of 
iudging.  These  inscriptions  at  the  commencement  of  the  epistles  have 
hitherto  in  general  escaped  the  suspicion  of  spuriousness,  to  which  the  sub- 
scriptions at  the  close  are  justly  exposed.  Michaelin.  They  should  not  in 
any  case  be  called  in  question,  unless  there  is  good  reason  from  the  epistle  itself, 
or  from  some  other  source.  This  inscription  is  found  in  all  our  present  Greek 
manuscripts,  and  in  nearly  all  the  ancient  versions.  It  is  found  in  the  Peshilo, 
the  old  Syriac  version,  which  was  made  in  the  first  or  in  the  early  part  of 
the  second  century.  It  is  the  title  given  to  the  epistle  by  the  Fathers  of  the 
second  century,  and  onward.  Stuart.  (2.)  The  testimony  of  the  Fathers. 
Their  testimony  is  unbroken  and  uniform.  With  one  accord  they  declare 
this,  and  this  should  be  regarded  as  testimony  of  great  value.  Unless  there 
is  some  good  reason  to  depart  from  such  evidence,  it  should  be  regarded  as 
decisive.  In  this  case  there  is  no  good  reason  for  calling  it  in  question, 
but  every  reason  to  suppose  it  to  be  correct ;  nor  so  far  as  I  have  found  is 
there  any  one  who  has  doubted  it.  (3.)  The  internal  evidence  is  of  the 
highest  character  that  it  was  written  to  Hebrew  converts.  It  treats  of  He- 
brew institutions.  It  explains  their  nature.  It  makes  no  allusion  to  Gen- 
tile customs  or  laws.  It  all  along  supposes  that  those  to  whom  it  was 
sent  were  familiar  with  the  Jewish  history  ;  with  the  nature  of  the  temple 
service  ;  with  the  functions  of  the  priestly  office ;  and  with  the  whole  struc- 
ture of  their  religion.  No  other  person  than  those  who  had  been  Jews  are 
addressed  throughout  the  epistle.  There  is  no  attempt  to  explain  the  nature 
or  design  of  any  customs  except  those  with  which  they  were  familiar.  At 
the  same  time  it  is  equally  clear  that  they  were  Jewish  converts — converts 
from  Judaism  to  Christianity  —  who  are  addressed.  The  writer  addresses 
them  as  Christians,  not  as  those  who  were  to  be  converted  to  Christianity  ; 
he  explains  to  them  the  Jewish  customs  as  one  would  do  to  those  who  had 
been  converted  from  Judaism  ;  he  endeavours  to  guard  them  from  apostasy, 
as  if  there  were  danger  that  they  would  relapse  again  into  the  system  from 
which  they  were  converted.  These  considerations  seem  to  be  decisive  ;  and 
in  the  view  of  all  who  have  written  on  the  epistle,  as  well  as  of  the  Christian 
world  at  large,  they  settle  the  question.  It  has  never  been  held  that  the" 
epistle  was  directed  to  Gentiles  ,•  and  in  all  the*  opinions  and  questions 
which  have  been  started  on  the  subject,  it  has  been  admitted  that,  wherever 


INTRODUCTION.  IT 

they  resided,  the  persons  to  whom  the  epistle  was  addressed  were  originally 
Hebrews  who  had  never  been  converted  to  the  Christian  religion. 

(II.)  To  what  particular  church  of  the  Hebrews  was  it  written  ?  Very 
difterent  opinions  have  been  held  on  this  question.  The  celebrated  Storr 
held  that  it  was  written  to  the  Hebrew  part  of  the  churches  in  Galatia  ;  and 
that  the  epistle  to  the  Galatians  was  addressed  to  the  Gentile  part  of  those 
churches.  Semler  and  Noessett  maintained  that  it  was  written  to  the  churches 
in  Macedonia,  and  particularly  to  the  church  of  Thessalonica.  Bolten  main- 
tains that  it  was  addressed  to  the  Jewish  Christians  who  fled  from  Palestine 
in  a  time  of  persecution,  about  the  year  60,  and  who  were  scattered  through 
Asia  Minor.  Michael  Weber  supposed  that  it  was  addressed  to  the  church 
at  Corinth.  Ludwig  conjectured  that  it  was  addressed  to  a  church  in  Spain. 
Wetstein  supposes  that  it  was  written  to  the  church  at  Rome.  Most  of  these 
opinions  are  mere  conjectures,  and  all  of  them  depend  on  circumstances  which 
furnish  only  slight  evidence  of  probability.  Those  who  are  disposed  to  ex- 
amine these,  and  to  see  them  confuted,  may  consult  Stuart's  Commentary  on 
the  Hebrews,  Intro.  §  5 — 9.  The  dbmmon,  and  the  almost  universally  re- 
ceived opinion  is,  that  the  epistle  was  addressed  to  the  Hebrew  Christians  in 
Palestine.  The  reasons  for  this  opinion,  briefly,  are  the  following.  (1.)  The 
testimony  of  the  ancient  church  was  uniform  on  this  point — that  the  epistle 
was  not  only  written  to  the  Hebrew  Christians,  but  to  those  who  were  in 
Palestine.  Lardner  affirms  this  to  be  the  testimony  of  Clement  of  Alexan- 
dria, Jerome,  Euthalius,  Chrysostom,  Theodoret,  and  Theophylact ;  and  adds 
that  this  was  the  general  opinion  of  the  ancients.  Works,  vol.  vi.  pp.  80,  81, 
ed.  Lond.  1829.  (2.)  The  inscription  at  the  commencement  of  the  epistle 
leads  to  this  supposition.  That  inscription,  though  not  appended  by  the 
hand  of  the  author,  was  early  aflixed  to  it.  It  is  found  not  only  in  the  Greek 
manuscripts,  but  in  all  the  early  versions,  as  the  Syriac  and  the  Itala  ;  and 
was  doubtless  affixed  at  a  very  early  period,  and  by  whomsoever  affixed,  ex- 
pressed the  current  sense  at  the  time.  It  is  hardly  possible  that  a  mistake 
would  be  made  on  this  point ;  and  unless  there  is  good  evidence  to  the  con- 
trary, this  ought  to  be  allowed  to  determine  the  question.  That  inscription 
is,  "  The  Epistle  of  Paul  the  Apostle  to  the  Hebrews."  But  who  are  the 
Hebrews — the  'E/3p&oi,  ?  Prof.  Stuart  has  endeavoured  to  show  that  this 
was  a  term  that  was  employed  exclusively  to  denote  the  Jews  in  Palestine, 
in  contradistinction  from  foreign  Jews,  who  were  tilled  Hellenists,  Comp. 
my  Notes  on  Acts  vi.  1.  Bertholdt  declares  that  there  is  not  a  single  example 
which  can  be  found  in  early  times  of  Jewish  Christians  out  of  Palestine  being 
called  Hebrews.  See  a  Dissertation  on  the  Greek  Language  in  Palestine, 
and  on  the  meaning  of  the  word  Hellenists,  by  Hug,  in  the  Bib.  Repository, 
vol.  i.  547,  548.  Comp.  also  Robinson's  Lex.  on  the  wora  'E|3paioj.  If  this 
be  so,  and  if  the  inscription  be  of  any  authority,  then  it  goes  far  to  settle  the 
question.  The  word  Hebrews  occurs  but  three  times  in  the  INew  Testament, 
(Acts  vi.  1  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  22  ;  Phil.  iii.  5,)  in  the  first  of  which  it  is  certain  that 
it  is  used  in  this  sense,  and  in  both  the  others  of  which  it  is  probable.  There 
can  be  no  doubt,  it  seems  to  me,  that  an  ancient  writer,  acquainted  with  the 
usual  sense  of  the  word  Hebrew,  would  understand  an  inscription  of  this 
kind — "  written  to  the  Hebrews" — as  designed  tor  the  inhabitants  of  Pales- 
tine, and  not  for  the  Jews  of  other  countries.  (3.)  There  are  some  passages 
in  the  epistle  itself  which  Lardner  supposes  indicate  that  this  epistle  was 
written  to  the  Hebrews  in  Palestine,  or  to  those  there  who  had  been  converted 
from  Judaism  to  Christianity.  As  those  passages  are  not  conclusive,  and  as 
their  force  has  been  called  in  question,  and  with  much  propriety,  by  Prof. 
1* 


Tl  INTRODUCTION. 

Stuart  (pp.  32 — 34).  I  shall  merely  refer  to  them.     They  can  be  examined 
at  leisure  by  those  who  are  disposed,  and  though  they  do  not  prove  that  the 
epistle  was  addressed  to  the  Hebrew  Christians  in  Palestine,  yet  they  can  be 
best  internretcd  on  that  supposition,  and  a  peculiar  significancy  would  be  at- 
tached to  them  on  this  supposition.     They  arc  the  following  :  ch.  i.  2  ;  iv. 
2  ;  ii.  1—4;  V.  12  ;  iv.  4—6  ;   X.  26—29.  32—34  ;   xiii.  13,  14.      The  ar- 
gument of  Lardner  is,  that  these  would  be  more  applicable  to  their  condition 
than  to  others  ;  a  position  which  I  think  cannot  be  doubted.     Some  of  them 
are  of  so  general  character,  indeed,  as  to  be  applicable  to  Christians  elsewhere  ; 
and  in  regard  to  some  of  them  it  cannot  be  certainly  demonstrated  that  the 
state  of  things  referred  to  existed  in  Judca,  but  taken  together  they  would  be 
more  applicable  by  far  to  them  than  to  the  circumstances  of  any  others  of 
which  we  have  knowledge  ;  and  this  may  be  allowed  to  have  some  weight  at 
least  in  determining  to  whom  the  epistle  was  sent.     (4.)  The  internal  evi- 
dence of  the  epistle  corresponds  with  the  suppoaition  that  it  was  written  to 
the  Hebrew  Christians  in  Palestine.     The  passages  referred  to  in  the  pre- 
vious remarks  (3)  might  be  adduced  here  as  proof.     But  there  is  other  proof. 
It  might  have  been  otherwise.     There  might  be  such  strong  internal  proof 
that  an  epistle  was  not  addressed  to  a  supposed  people,  as  completely  to  neu- 
tralize all  the  evidence  derived  from   an  inscription  like  that  prefixed  to  this 
epistle,  and  all  the  evidence  derived  from   tradition.     But  it  is  not  so  here. 
All  the  circumstances  referred  to  in  the  epistle  ;  the  general  strain  of  remark ; 
the  argument ;  the  allusions,  are  just  such  as  would  be  likely  to  he  found  in 
an  epistle  addressed  to  the  Hebrew  Chrlstans  in  Palestine,  and  such  as  would 
not  be  likely  to  occur  in  an  epistle  addressed  to  any  other  place  or  people. 
They  are  such  as  the  following  :    («.)  The  familiar  acquaintance  with  the 
Jewish  institutions  supposed  by  the  writer  to  exist  among  those  to  whom  it 
was  sent — a  familiarity  hardly  to  be  expected  even  of  Jews  who  lived  in  other 
countries.     (A.)   The  danger  so  frequently  adverted  to  of  their  relapsing  into 
their  former  state  ;  of  apostatizing  from  Christianity,  and  of  embracing  again 
the  Jewish  rites  and  ceremonies — a  danger  that  would  exist  nowhere  else  in 
so  great  a  degree   as  in  Judea.     Comp.  ch.  ii.  1 — 3  ;  iii.  7 — 11.  15  ;  iv.  1  ; 
vi.  1 — 8  ;  X.  26 — 35.     (c.)   The  nature  of  the  discussion  in  the  epistle — not 
turning  upon  the  obligation  of  circumcision,  and  the  distm.  'ion  of  meats  and 
drinks,  which  occupied  so  much  of  the  attention  of  the  apostles  aj;d  early  Chris- 
tians in  other  places — but  a  discussion  relating  to  the  whole  struture  of  the 
Mosaic  economy,  the  pre-eminence  of  Moses  or. Christ,  the  meanu.g  of  the 
rites  of  the  temple,  &c.     These  great  questions  would  be  more  likely  tc  arise 
in  Judea  than  elsewhere,  and  it  was  important  to  discuss  them  fully,  as  ii  is 
done  in  this  epistle.     In  other  places  they  would  be  of  less  interest,  and  would 
excite  less  diificulty.  l  (Vf.)  The  allusion  to  local  places  and  events ;  to  facts 
in  their  history  ;  and  to  the  circumstances  of  public  worship,  which  would  be 
better  understood  there  than  elsewhere.     There  are  no  allusions — or  if  there 
are  they  are  very  brief  and  infrequent — to  heathen  customs,  games,  races,  and 
philosophical  opinions,  as  there  are  often  in  the  other  epistles  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament.    Those  to  whom  the  epistle  was  sent,  are  presumed  to  have  an  inti- 
mate and  minute  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  history,  and  such  a  knowledge 
as  could  be  hardly  supposed  elsewhere.     Comp.  ch.  xi.,  particularly  vs.  32 — 
39.     Thus  it  is  impHed  that  they  so  well  understood  the  subjects  referred  to 
relating  to  the  Jewish  rites,  that  it  was  not  necessary  that  the  writer  should 
specify  them  particularly.     See  ch.  ix.  5.     Of  what  other  perso«s  could  this 
be  so  appropriately  said  as  of  the  dwellers  in  Palestine  ?     (e.)  The  circum- 
stancBs  of  trial  and  persecution  so  ofteu  referred  to  in  the  epistle,  agree  well 


INTKODUCTION.  vU 

With  the  known  condition  of  the  church  in  Palestine.  That  it  was  subjected 
to  great  trials  we  know  ;  and  though  this  was  extensively  true  of  other 
churches,  yet  it  is  probable  that  there  were  more  vexatious  and  grievous  ex- 
actions ;  that  there  was  more  spite,  and  malice  ;  that  there  were  more  of  the 
trials  arising  from  the  separation  of  families  and  the  losses  of  property  attend- 
ing a  profession  of  Christianity  in  Palestine  than  elsewhere  in  the  early 
Christian  church.  These  considerations — though  not  so  conclusive  as  to 
furnish  absolute  demonstration — go  far  to  settle  the  question.  They  seem 
to  me  so  strong  as  to  preclude  any  reasonable  doubt,  and  are  such  as  the 
mind  can  repose  on  with  a  great  degree  of  confidence  in  regard  to  the  original 
destination  of  the  epistle. 

(3.)  Was  it  addressed  io  a  particular  chwch  in  Palestine,  or  to  the  He- 
brew Christians  there  in  general? 

Whether  it  was  addressed  to  the  churches  in  general  in  Palestine,  or  to 
some  particular  church  there,  it  is  now  impossible  to  determine.  Prof.  Stuart 
inclines  to  the  opinion  that  it  was  addressed  to  the  church  in  Cesarea.  The 
ancients  in  general  supposed  it  was  addressed  to  the  church  in  Jerusalem. 
There  are  some  local  references  in  the  epistle  which  look  as  though  it  was 
directed  to  some  particular  church.  But  the  means  of  deterriiining  this  ques- 
tion are  put  beyond  our  reach,  and  it  is  of  little  importance  to  settle  the  ques- 
tion. From  the  allusions  to  the  temple,  the  priesthood,  the  sacrifices,  and  the 
whole  train  of  peculiar  institutions  there,  it  would  seem  probable  that  it  was 
directed  to  the  church  in  Jerusalem.  As  that  was  the  capital  of  the  nation, 
and  the  centre  of  religious  influence  ;  and  as  there  was  a  large  and  flourishing 
church  there,  this  opinion  would  seem  to  have  great  probability  ;  but  it  is 
impossible  now  to  determine  it.  If  we  suppose  that  the  author  sent  the  epistle, 
in  the  first  instance,  to  some  local  church,  near  the  central  seat  of  the  great 
influence  which  he  intended  to  reach  by  it — addressing  to  that  church  the 
particular  communications  in  the  last  verses — we  shall  make  a  supposition 
which,  so  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  will  accord  with  the  truth  in  the  case. 

§  3.  The  Author  of  the  Epistle. 

To  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  investigations  which  have  taken  place 
m  regard  to  this  epistle,  it  need  not  be  said  that  the  question  of  its  authorship 
has  given  rise  to  much  discussion.  The  design  of  these  Notes  does  not  per- 
mit me  to  go  at  length  into  this  inquiry.  Those  who  are  disposed  to  see  the 
investigation  pursued  at  length,  and  to  see  the  objections  to  the  PauHne  origin 
examined  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner,  can  find  it  done  in  the  Introduction 
to  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  by  Prof.  Stuart,  pp.  77 — 260.  All  that  my 
purpose  requires  is  to  state,  in  a  very  brief  manner,  the  evidence  on  which  it 
is  ascribed  to  the  apostle  Paul.     That  evidence  is,  briefly,  the  following  : 

(1.)  That  derived  from  the  church  at  Alexandria.  Clement  of  Alexandria 
says,  that  Paul  wrote  to  the  Hebrews,  and  that  this  was  the  opinion  of  Pan- 
taenus,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  celebrated  Christian  school  at  Alexandria, 
and  who  flourished  about  A.  D.  180.  Pantaenus  lived  near  Palestine.  He 
must  have  been  acquainted  with  the  prevailing  opinions  on  the  subject,  and 
his  testimony  must  be  regarded  as  proof  that  the  epistle  was  regarded  as  Paul's 
by  the  churches  in  that  region.  Origen,  also,  of  Alexandria,  ascribes  the 
epistle  to  Paul ;  though  he  says  that  the  sentiments  are  those  of  Paul,  but 
that  the  words  and  phrases  belong  to  some  one  relating  the  apostle's  senti- 
ments, and  as  it  were  commenting  on  the  words  of  his  master.  The  testi- 
mony of  the  church  at  Alexandria  was  uniform  after  the  time  of  Origen,  that 


VIU  INTRODUCTION. 

it  was  the  production  of  Paul.  Indeed  there  seems  never  to  have  been  anj 
doubt  in  regard  to  it  there,  and  from  the  commencement  it  was  admitted  as 
his  [iroduction.  The  testimony  of  that  church  and  school  is  particularly  va- 
luable, because  (a)  it  was  near  to  Palestine,  where  the  epistle  was  probably 
sent  ;  (A)  Clement  particularly  had  travelled  much,  and  would  be  likely  to 
understand  the  prevailing  sentiments  of  the  East ;  (c)  Alexandria  was  the 
seat  of  the  most  celebrated  theological  school  of  the  early  Christian  ages,  and 
those  who  were  at  the  head  of  this  school  would  be  likely  to  have  correct  in-' 
formation  on  a  point  like  this  ;  and  (</)  Origen  is  admitted  to  have  been  the 
most  learned  of  the  Greek  Fathers,  and  his  testimony  that  the  '  sentiments' 
were  those  of  Paul  may  be  regarded  as  of  peculiar  value. 

(2.)  It  was  inserted  in  the  translation  into  the  Syriac,  made  very  early  in 
the  second  century,  and  in  the  old  Italic  version,  and  was  hence  believed  to 
be  of  apostolic  origin,  and  is  by  the  inscription  ascribed  to  Paul.  This  may 
be  allowed  to  express  the  general  sense  of  the  churches  at  that  time,  as  this 
would  not  have  been  done  unless  there  had  been  a  general  impression  that 
the  epistle  was  written  by  him.  The  fact  that  it  was  early  regarded  as  an 
inspired  book  is  also  conclusively  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  second  epistle 
of  Peter,  and  the  second  and  third  epistles  of  John,  are  not  found  in  that  ver- 
sion. They  came  later  into  circulation  than  the  other  epistles,  and  were  not 
possessed,  or  regarded  as  genuine,  by  the  author  of  that  version.  The  epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  is  found  in  these  versions,  and  was,  therefore,  regarded  as  one 
of  the  inspired  books.  In  those  versions  it  bears  the  inscription,  "  To  the 
Hebrews." 

(3.)  This  epistle  was  received  as  the  production  of  Paid  by  the  Eastern 
churches.  Justin  Martyr,  who  was  born  at  Samaria,  quotes  it,  about  the 
year  140.  It  was  found,  as  has  been  already  remarked,  in  the  Peshito — the 
old  Syriac  version,  made  in  the  early  part  of  the  second  century.  Jacob, 
bishop  of  Nisibis,  also  (about  A.  D.  325)  repeatedly  quotes  it  as  the  produc- 
tion of  an  apostle.  Ephrem  Syrus,  or  the  Syrian,  abundantly  ascribes  this 
epistle  to  Paul.  He  was  the  disciple  of  Jacob  of  Nisibis,  and  no  man  was 
better  qualified  to  inform  himself  on  this  point  than  Ephrem.  No  man  stands 
deservedly  higher  in  the  memory  of  the  Eastern  churches.  After  him,  all 
the  Syrian  churches  acknowledged  the  canonical  authority  of  the  epistle  to 
the  Hebrews.  But  the  most  important  testimony  of  the  Eastern  church  is 
that  of  Eusebius,  bishop  of  Cesarea,  in  Palestine.  He  is  the  well-known  his- 
torian of  the  church,  and  he  took  pains  from  all  quarters  to  collect  testimony 
in  regard  to  the  Books  of  Scripture.  He  says,  "  There  are  fourteen  epistles 
of  Paul,  manifest  and  well  known  :  but  yet  there  are  some  who  reject  that 
to  the  Hebrews,  alleging  in  behalf  of  their  opinion,  that  it  was  not  received 
by  the  church  of  Rome  as  a  writing  of  Paul."  The  testimony  of  Eusebius 
is  particularly  important.  He  had  heard  of  the  objection  to  its  canonical 
authority.  He  had  weighed  that  objection.  Yet  in  view  of  the  testimony 
in  the  case,  he  regarded  it  as  the  undoubted  production  of  Paul.  As  such  it 
was  received  in  the  churches  in  the  East ;  and  the  fact  which  he  mentions 
that  its  genuineness  had  been  disputed  by  the  church  of  Rome,  and  that  ho 
specifies  no  other  church,  proves  that  it  had  not  been  called  iu  question  in 
the  East.  This  seems  to  mc  to  be  suflScient  testimony  to  settle  this  inquiry. 
The  writers  here  referred  to  lived  in  the  very  country  to  which  the  epistle 
was  evidently  written,  and  their  testimony  is  uniform.  Justin  Martyr  was 
born  in  Samaria  ;  Ephrem  passed  his  life  in  Syria  ;  Eusebius  lived  in  Cesa- 
rea,  and  Origen  passed  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  in  Palestine.  The 
churches  there  were  nnanimoua  ui  the  opinion  that  this  epistle  was  written 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

Dy  Paul,  and  their  united  testimony  should  settle  the  question.  Indeed  • 
when  their  testimony  is  considered,  it  seems  remarkable  that  the  subject  should 
have  been  regarded  as  doubtful  by  critics,  or  that  it  should  have  given  rise  to 
so  much  protracted  investigation.  I  might  add  to  the  testimonies  above  re- 
ferred to,  the  fact  that  the  epistle  was  declared  to  be  Paul's  by  the  following 
persons  :  Archelaus,  bishop  of  Mesopotamia,  about  A.  D.  300  ;  Adamantius, 
about  330  ;  Cyril,  of  Jerusalem,  about  348  ;  the  Council  of  Laodicea,  about 
363 ;  Epiphanius,  about  368  ;  Basil,  370  ;  Gregory  Nazianzen,  370  ; 
Chrysostom,  398,  &c.  &c.  Why  should  not  the  testimony  of  such  men  and 
churches  be  admitted  ?  What  more  clear  or  decided  evidence  could  we 
wish  in  regard  to  any  fact  of  ancient  history  ?  Would  not  such  testimony 
he  ample  in  regard  to  an  anonymous  oration  of  Cicero,  or  poem  of  Virgil  or 
Horace  ?  Are  we  not  constantly  acting  on  far  feebler  evidence  in  regard  to 
the  authorship  of  many  productions  of  celebrated  English  writers  ? 

(4.)  In  regard  to  the  Western  churches,  it  is  to  be  admitted  that,  hke  the 
second  epistle  of  Peter,  and  the  second  and  third  epistles  of  John,  the  canoni- 
cal authority  was  for  some  time  doubted,  or  was  even  called  in  question. 
But  this  may  be  accounted  for.  The  epistle  had  not  the  name  of  the  author. 
All  the  other  epistles  of  Paul  had.  As  the  epistle  was  addressed  to  the 
Hebrews  in  Palestine,  it  may  not  have  been  soon  known  to  the  Western 
churches.  As  there  were  spurious  epistles  and  gospels  at  an  early  age,  much 
caution  would  be  used  in  admitting  any  anonymous  production  to  a  place  in 
the  sacred  canon.  Yet  it  was  not  long  before  all  these  doubts  were  removed, 
and  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  was  allowed  to  take  its  place  among  the  other 
acknowledged  writings  of  Paul.  It  was  received  as  the  epistle  of  Paul  by 
Hilary,  bishop  of  Poictiers,  about  A.  D.  3.'34  ;  by  Lucifer,  bishop  of  Caghari, 
354;  by  Victorinus,  360  ;  by  Ambrose,  bishop  of  Milan,  360  ;  by  Rulinus, 
397,  &c.  &c.  Jerome,  the  well-known  Latin  Father,  uses  in  regard  to  it 
the  following  language  :  "  This  is  to  be  maintained,  that  this  epistle  which  is 
inscribed  to  the  Hebrews,  is  not  only  received  by  the  churches  at  the  East  as 
the  apostle  Paul's,  but  has  been  in  past  times  by  all  ecclesiastical  writers  in 
the  Greek  language  ;  although  most  [Latins]  think  that  Barnabas  or  Clement 
was  the  author."  Still,  it  was  not  rejected  by  all  the  Latins.  Some  received 
it  in  the  time  of  Jerome  as  the  production  of  Paul.  See  Stuart,  pp.  114,  115, 
for  the  full  testimony  of  Jerome.  Augustine  admitted  that  the  epistle  was 
written  by  Paul.  He  mentions  that  Paul  wrote  fourteen  epistles,  and  specifies 
particularly  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  He  often  cites  it  as  a  part  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  quotes  it  as  the  production  of  an  apostle.  Stuart-,  p.  115.  From  the 
time  of  Augustine  it  was  undisputed.  By  the  council  of  Hippo,  A.  I).  393, 
the  third  council  of  Cartilage,  397,  and  the  fifth  council  of  Carthage,  419,  it 
was  declared  to  be  the  epistle  of  Paul,  and  was  as  such  commended  to  the 
churches. 

(5.)  As  another  proof  that  it  is  the  writing  of  Paul,  we  may  appeal  to  the 
internal  evidence,  (a)  The  author  of  the  epistle  was  the  companion  and 
friend  of  Timothy.  "Know  ye  that  our  brother  Timothy  is  set  at  liberty" — 
or  is  sent  away — ai!o\e.\v^ivov — "  with  whom  if  he  come  speedily,  I  will 
make  you  a  visit."  Ch.  xiii.  23.  Sent  away,  perhaps,  on  a  journey  to  visit 
some  of  the  churches,  and  expected  soon  to  return.  In  Phil.  ii.  19,  Paul 
speaks  of  sending  Timothy  to  them  "  so  soon  as  he  should  see  how  it  would 
go  with  him,"  at  the  same  time  expressing  a  hope  that  he  should  himself  see 
them  shortly.  What  is  more  natural  than  to  suppose  that  he  had  now  sent 
Timothy  to  Philippi ;  that  during  his  absence  he  wrote  this  epistle  ;  that  he 
was  waiting  for  his  return  ;  and  that  he  proposed,  if  Timothy  should  return 


X  1  N  T  r.  o  n  I)  C  T  I  O  N  . 

Boon,  to  visit  Palestine  with  him  ?     And  who  vvoulJ  more  naturally  say  this 
than  the  apostle  Paul — the  companion  and  friend  of  Tirnotliy  ;  by  whom  he 
had  l)ccn  acconii)anied   in  his  travels  ;  and   by  whom  he  was   regarded  with 
special  interest  as  a  niiiiistcr  of  the  gospel  ?     (i)  In  ch.  xiii.  18,  19,  he  asks 
their  prayers  that  he  might  be  restored  to  them  ;  and  in  vcr.  23,  he  expresses 
a  confuient  expectation  of  being  able  soon  to  come  and  see  them.     From  this 
it  is  evident  that  he  was  then  imprisoned,  but  had  hope  of  speedy  release — a 
state  of  things  in  exact  accordance  with  what  existed  at  Rome.     Phil.  ii.  17 — 
24.     (c)  He  was  in  bonds  when  he  wrote  this  epistle.     Heb.  x.  34.     «  Ye 
had  compassion  of  mc  in  my  bo/tds ;"  an  expression  that  will  exactly  apply 
to  the  case  of  Paul.     He  was  in  "  bonds"  in  Palestine  ;  he  was  two  whole 
years  in  Ccsarea  a  prisoner  (.\cts  xxiv.  27)  ;  and  what  was  more  natural 
than  that  the  Christians  in   Palestine  should  have  had  compassion  on  him, 
and  ministered  to  his  wants  ?     To  what  other  person  would  these  circum- 
stances so  certainly  be  applicable  ?     (<f)  The  salutation  (ch.  xiii.  24)  <'  they 
of  Italy  salute  you,"  agrees  with  the  supposition  that  it  was  written  by  Paul 
when  a  prisoner  at  Rome.     Paul  writing  from  Rome,  and  acquainted  with 
Christians  from  other  parts  of  Italy,  would  be  likely  to  send  such  a  salutation. 
In  regard  to  the  objections  which  may  be  made  to  this  use  of  the  passage,  the 
reader  may  consult  Stuart's  Intro,  to  the  Hebrews,  p.  127,  .seq.     (£)  The 
doctrines  of  the  epistle  are  the  same  as  those  which  are  taught  by  Paul  in  his 
undisputed  writings.     It  is  true  that  this  consideration  is  not  conclusive,  but 
the  want  of  it  would  be  conclusive  evidence  against  the  position  that  Paul 
wrote  it.     But  the  resemblance  is  not  general.     It  is  not  such  as  any  man 
vvoukl  exhibit  who  held  to  the  same  general  system  of  truth.     It  relates  to 
peculiarities  of  doctrine,  and  is  such  as  would  be  manifested  by  a  man  who 
had  been  reared  and  trained  as  Paul  had.     (1.)  Nq  one  can  doubt  that  the 
author  was  formerly  a  Jew — and  a  Jew  who  had  been  familiar  to  an  uncom- 
mon degree  with  the  institutions  of  the  Jewish  religion.     Every  rite  and  cere- 
mony ;  every  form  of  opinion  ;  every  fact  in  their  history,  is  perfectly  familiar 
to  him.     And  though  the  other  apostles  were  Jews,  yet  we  can  hardly  sup- 
pose that  they  had  the  familiarity  with  the  minute  rites  and  ceremonies  so 
accurately  referred  to  in  this  epistle,  and  so  fully  illustrated.     With  Paul  all 
this  was  perfectly  natural.     He  had  been  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel, 
and  had  spent  the  early  part  of  his  life  at  Jcrusal^i  in  the  careful  study  of 
the  Old  Testament,  in   the  examination  of  the  prevalent   opinions,  and  in 
the  attentive  observance  of  the  rites  of  religion.     The  other  ajwstles  had  been 
born  and  trained,  apparently,  on  the  banks  of  Gennesareth,  and  certainly 
with  few  of  the  opportunities  which  Paul  had  had  for  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  institutions  of  the  te^Mple  service.     This  consideration  is  fatal,  in  my 
view,  to  the  claim  which  has  been  set  up  for  Clement  as  the  author  of  the 
epistle.     It  is  wholly  incredible  that  a'  foreigner  should  be  so  familiar  with 
the  Jewish  opinions,  laws,  institutions,  and  history,  as  the   author  of  this 
epistle  manifestly  was.     (2.)  1'here  is  the  same  preference  for  Christianity 
over  Judaism  in  this  epistle  which  is  shown  by  Paul   in  his  other  epistles, 

and  exhibited  in  the  same  form.     Among  these  points  are  the  following 

77/6  gospel  imparts  superior  light.  Comp.  Gal.  iv,  3.  9  ;  I.  Cor.  xiv.  20  ; 
Eph.  iv.  11—13  ;  ir.  Cor.  iii.  18  ;  with  Heb.  i.  1,  2  ;  ii.2 — 4  ;  viii.  9—11  ; 
1.  1  ;  xi.  39,40.  The  gospel  kotdx  out  supcriiw  mntires  and  encouragements 
to  piety.  Comp.  Gal.  iii.  23  ;  iv.  2,  3  ;  Rom.  viii.  15 — 17  ;  Gal.  iv.  4  ;  v. 
13;  I.  Cor.  vii.  19;  Gal.  vi.  15;  with  Hib.  ix.  9.  14;  xii.  18—24.  28;" 
viii.  G — 13.  The  gospel  is  superior  in  promoting  the  real  and  permanent 
happiness  of  mankind.     Comp.  Gal.  iii.  10  ;  II.  Cor.  iii.  7.  9  ;  Rom.  iii.  20 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

Rom.  iv.  24,  25  ;  Eph.  i.  7  ;  Rom.  v.  1,2;  Gal.  ii.  16  ;  and  the  same  views 
in  Heb.  xii.  18—21;  ix.  9;  x.  4.  11;  vi.  18—20;  vii.  25;  ix.  24.     The 

Jewish  dispensation  was  a  type  and  shadow  of  the  Christian.  See  Coll. 
ii.  16,  17  ;  I.  Cor.  x.  1—6  ;  Kom.  v.  14  ;  I.  Cor.  xv.  45—47  ;  II.  Cor.  iii. 
13 — 18  ;  Gal.  iv.  22 — 31  ;  iv.  1 — 5  ;  and  for  the  same  or  similar  views,  see 
Hebrews  ix.  9 — 14  ;  x.  1  ;  viii.  1 — 9  ;  ix.  22 — 24.  The  Christian  relis;ion 
was  designed  to  be  perpetual,  while  the  Jewish  was  intended  to  be  abolished. 
See  II.  Cor.  iii.  10,  11.  13.  18  ;  iv.  14—16  ;  Rom.  vii.  4—6  ;  Gal.  iii.  21— 
25  ;  iv.  1 — 7  ;  v.  1  ;  and  for  similar  views  compare  Heb.  viii.  6 — 8.  13  ; 
vii.  17 — 19  ;  X.  1 — 14.  The  person  of  the  Mediator  is  presented  in  the 
same  light  by  the  ivriter  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  and  by  Paul.  See 
Phil.  ii.  6—11  ;  Coll.  i.  15—20  ;  II.  Cor.  viii.  9  ;  Eph.  iii.  9  ;  I.  Cor.  viii. 
6  ;  XV.  25 — 37  ;  and  for  the  same  and  similar  views,  see  Heb.  i.  2,  3  ;  ii.  9. 
14  ;  xii.  2  ;  ii.  8  ;  X.  13.  The  death  of  Christ  is  the  propitiatory  sacrifice 
for  sin.  See  I.  Tim.  i.  15  ;  I.  Cor.  xv.  3  ;  Rom.  viii.  32  ;  iii.  24  ;  Gal.  i.  4  ; 
ii.  20  ;  I.  Cor.  v.  7  ;  Eph.  i.  7  ;  Coll.  i.  14  ;  I.  Tim.  ii.  6  ;  I.  Cor.  vi.  20  ; 
vii.  23  ;  Rom.  v.  12—21  ;  iii.  20.  28  ;  viii.  3  ;  I.  Tim.  ii.  5,  6.  For  similar 
views  see  Heb.  i.  3  ;  ii.  9  ;  v.  8,  9  ;  vii.,  viii.,  ix.,  x.  The  general  method 
and  arrangement  of  this  epistle,  and  the  acknowledged  epistles  of  Paul  are 
the  same.  It  resembles  particularly  the  epistles  to  the  Romans  and  the  Gala- 
tians,  where  we  have  first  a  doctrinal  and  then  a  practical  part.  The  same  is 
true  also  to  some  extent  of  the  epistles  to  the  Ephesians,  Colossians,  and 
Philippians.  The  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  on  the  same  plan.  As  far  as  ch. 
X.  19,  it  is  principally  doctrinal  ;  the  remainder  is  mainly  practical.  The 
manner  of  appealing  to,  and  applying  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  is  the  same 
in  this  epistle  as  in  those  of  Paul.  The  general  structure  of  the  epistle,  and 
the  slightest  comparison  between  them,  will  show  this  with  sufficient  clear- 
ness. The  general  remark  to  be  made  in  view  of  this  comparison  is,  that  the 
epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  just  such  an  one  as  Paul  might  be  expected  to  write  ; 
that  it  agrees  with  what  we  know  to  have  been  his  early  training,  his  views, 
his  manner  of  hfe,  his  opinions,  and  his  habit  in  writing ;  that  it  accords  better 
with  his  views  than  with  those  of  any  other  known  writer  of  antiquity  ;  and 
that  it  falls  in  with  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  known  to  be  placed, 
and  the  general  object  which  he  had  in  view.  So  satisfactory  are  these  views 
to  my  mind,  that  they  seem  to  have  all  the  force  of  demonstration  which  can 
be  had  in  regard  to  any  anonymous  publication,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  wonder 
that  so  much  doubt  has  been  experienced  in  reference  to  the  question  who 
was  the  author. 

It  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  fact  that  the  name  of  the  author  was  omit- 
ted. It  is  found  in  every  other  epistle  of  Paul,  and  in  general  it  is  appended 
to  the  epistles  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is  omitted,  however,  in  the  three 
epistles  of  John,  for  reasons  which  are  now  unknown.  And  there  may 
have  been  similar  reasons  also  unknown  for  omitting  it  in  this  case.  The 
simple  fact  is,  that  it  is  anonymous  ;  and  whoever  was  the  author,  the  same 
difficulty  will  exist  in  accounting  for  it.  If  this  fact  will  prove  that  Paul  was 
not  the  author,  it  would  prove  the  same  thing  in  regard  to  any  other  person, 
and  would  thus  be  ultimately  conclusive  evidence  that  it  had  no  author. 
What  were  the  reasons  for  omitting  the  name  can  be  only  matter  of  conjec- 
ture. The  most  probable  opinion,  as  it  seems  to  mc,  is  this.  The  name  of 
Paul  was  odious  to  the  Jews.  He  was  regarded  by  the  nation  as  an  apostate 
from  their  religion,  and  everywhere  they  showed  pecuhar  malignity  against 
him.  See  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  The  fact  that  he  was  so  regarded  by 
them  might  indirectly  influence  even  those  who  had  been  converted  from 


XU  INTRODUCTION. 

Judaism  to  Christianity.     They  lived  in  Palestine.     They  were  near  the 
temple,  and  were  engaged  in  its  ceremonies  and  sacrifices — for  there  is  no 
evidence  that  they  broke  otF  from  those  observances  on  their  conversion  to 
Christianity.     Paul  was  abroad.     It  might  have  been  reported  that  he  was 
preaching  against  the  temple  and  its  sacrifices,  and  even  the  Jewish  Chris- 
tians in  Palestine  might  have  supposed  that  he  was  carrymg  matters  too  far. 
In  these  circumstances  it  might  have  been  imprudent  for  him  to  have  an- 
nounced his  name  at  the  outset,  for  it  might  have  aroused  prejudices  which  a 
wise  man  would  wish  to  allay.     But  if  he  could  present  an  argument,  some- 
what in  the  form  of  an  essay,  showing  that  he  believed  that  the  Jewish  institu- 
tions were  appointed  by  God,  and  that  he  was  not  an  apostate  and  an  infidel ; 
if  he  could  conduct  a  demonstration  that  would  accord  in  the  main  with  the  pre- 
vailing views  of  the  Christians  in  Palestine,  and  that  was  adapted  to  strengthen 
them  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  and  explain  to   them  the  true  nature  of  the 
Jewish  rites,  then  the  object  could  be  gained  without  dilTiculty,  and  then  they 
would  be  prepared  to  learn  that  Paul  was  the  author,  without  prejudice  or 
alarm.     Accordingly  he  thus  conducts  the  argument ;  and  at  the  close  gives 
them  such  intimations  that  they  would  understand  who  wrote  it  without 
much  difficulty.     If  this  was  the  motive,  it  was  an  instance  of  tact  Buch  as 
was  certainly  characteristic  of  Paul,  and  such  as  was  not  unworthy  any  man. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  this  was  the  true  motive.     It  would  be  soon  known  who 
wrote  it ;  and  accordingly  we  have  seen  it  was  never  disputed  in  the  Eastern 
churches.  > 

§  4.  The  time  when  written. 

In  regard  to  the  time  when  this  epistle  was  written,  and  the  place  v^here, 
critics  have  been  better  agreed  than  on  most  of  the  questions  which  have  been 
started  in  regard  to  it.  Mill  was  of  opinion  that  it  was  written  by  Paul  in 
the  year  63,  in  some  part  of  Italy,  soon  after  he  had  been  released  from  impri- 
sonment at  Rome.  Wetstein  was  of  the  same  opinion.  Tillemont  r.lso  places 
this  epistle  in  the  year  63,  and  supposes  that  it  was  written  while  Paul  was 
at  Rome,  or  at  least  in  Italy,  and  soon  after  he  was  released  from  imprison- 
ment. Basnage  supposes  it  was  written  about  the  yesjr  61,  and  during  the 
imprisonment  of  the  apostle.  Lardner  supposes  also  that  it  was  written  in 
the  beginning  of  the  year  63,  and  soon  after  the  apostle  was  released  from  his 
confinement.  This  also  is  the  opinion  of  Colmet.  The  circumstances  in  the 
epistle  which  will  enable  us  to  form  an  opinion  on  the  question  about  the 
time  and  the  place  are  the  following  : — 

(1.)  It  was  written  while  the  temple  was  still  standing,. and  before  Jerusa- 
lem was  destroyed.  This  is  evident  from  the  whole  structure  of  the  epistle. 
There  is  no  allusion  to  the  destruction  of  the  temple  or  the  city,  which  there 
certainly  would  have  been  if  they  had  been  destroyed.  Such  an  event  would 
nave  contributed  much  to  the  object  in  view,  and  would  have  furnished  an 
irrefragable  argument  that  the  institutions  of  the  Jews  were  intended  to  be 
superseded  by  another  and  a  more  perfect  system.  Moreover,  there  are  allu- 
sions 271  the  epistle  which  suppose  that  the  temple  service  was  then  performed. 
See  Heb.  ix.  9  ;  viii.  4,  5.  But  the  city  and  temple  were  destroyed  in  the 
year  70,  and  of  course  the  epistle  was  written  before  that  year. 

(2.)  It  was  evidently  written  before  the  civil  wars  and  commotions  in 
Judea,  which  terminated  in  the  destruction  of  the  city  and  nation.  This  is 
clear,  because  there  are  no  allusions  to  any  such  disorders  or  troubles  in 
Palestine,  and  there  is  no  intimation  that  fhry  were  sufTerine  the  evils  incident 


INTRODUCTION.  XIU 

to  a  state  of  war.     Comp.  ch.  xii.  4.     But  those  wars  commenced  A.  D.  66, 
and  evidently  the  epistle  was  written  before  that  time. 

(3.)  Tliey  were  not  suffering  the  evils  of  violent  persecution.  They  had 
indeed  formerly  suffered  (comp.  ch.  x.  32.  34)  ;  James  and  Stephen  had  been 
put  to  death  (Acts  vii.,  xii.)  ;  but  there  was  no  violent  and  bloody  persecu- 
tion then  raging  in  which  they  were  called  to  defend  their  religion  at  the 
expense  of  blood  and  life.  Ch.  x.  32,  33.  But  the  persecution  under  Nero 
began  in  the  year  64,  and  though  it  began  at  Rome,  and  was  confined  to  a 
considerable  degree  to  Italy,  yet  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  extended  to  other 
places,  and  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  if  such  a  persecution  were  raging  at  the 
time  when  the  epistle  was  written  there  would  be  some  allusion  to  this  fact. 
It  may  be  set  down,  therefore,  that  it  was  written  before  the  year  64. 

(4.)  It  is  equally  true  that  the  epistle  was  written  during  the  latter  part  of 
the  apostolic  age.  The  author  speaks  of  the  ^former  days  in  which  after 
they  were  illuminated  they  had  endured  a  great  fight  of  alflictions,  and  when 
they  were  made  a  gazing  stock,  and  were  plundered  by  their  oppressors'  (ch. 
X.  33 — 34)  ;  and  he  speaks  of  them  as  having  been  so  long  converted  that 
they  ought  to  have  been  qualified  to  teach  others  (ch.  v.  12)  ;  and  hence  it  is 
fairly  to  be  inferred  that  they  were  not  recent  converts,  but  that  the  church 
there  had  been  established  for  a  considerable  period.  It  may  be  added,  that 
it  was  after  the  writer  had  been  imprisoned — as  I  suppose  in  Cesarea  (see  §  3) 
— when  they  had  ministered  to  him.  Ch.  x.  34.  But  this  was  as  late  as  the 
year  60. 

(5.)  At  the  time  when  Paul  wrote  the  epistles  to  the  Ephesians,  Phi- 
lippians,  and  Colossians,  he  had  hopes  of  deliverance.  Timothy  was  evi- 
<Iently  with  him.  But  now  he  was  absent.  Ch.  xiii.  23.  In  the  epistle  to 
the  Philippians  (ch.  ii.  19 — 23)  he  says,  "But  I  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  to 
send  Timotheus  shortly  unto  you,  that  I  may  be  also  of  good  comfort,  when 
know  your  state."  He  expected,  therefore,  that  Timothy  would  come  back 
to  him  at  Rome.  It  is  probable  that  Timothy  was  sent  soon  after  this.  The 
apostle  had  a  fair  prospect  of  being  set  at  liberty,  and  sent  him  to  them. 
During  his  absence  at  this  time,  it  would  seem  probable,  this  epistle  was 
written.  Thus  the  writer  says  (ch.  xiii.  23),  "  Know  ye  that  our  brother 
Timothy  is  set  at  liberty"— or  rather,  sent  awat,  or  sent  abroad  (see 
note  in  that  place)  ;  "  with  whom  if  he  come  shortly,  I  will  see  you."  That 
is,  if  he  returns  soon,  as  I  expect  him,  I  will  pay  you  a  visit.  It  is  probable 
that  the  epistle  was  written  while  Timothy  was  thus  absent  at  Philippi,  and 
when  he  returned,  Paul  and  he  went  to  Palestine,  and  thence  to  Ephesus.  If 
so  it  was  written  somewhere  about  the  year  63,  as  this  was  the  time  when 
Paul  was  set  at  liberty. 

(6.)  The  epistle  was  written  evidently  in  Italy.  Thus  in  ch.  xiii.  24,  the 
writer  says,  "  They  of  Italy  salute  you."  This  would  be  the  natural  form  ol 
salutation  on  the  supposition  that  it  was  written  there.  He  mentions  none 
by  name,  as  he  does  in  his  other  epistles,  for  it  is  probable  that  none  of  those 
who  were  at  Rome  would  be  known  by  name  in  Palestine.  But  there  was  a 
general  salutation,  showing  the  interest  which  they  had  in  the  Christians  in 
Judea,  and  expressive  of  regard  for  their  welfare.  This  expression  is,  to  my 
mind,  conclusive  evidence  that  the  epistle  was  written  in  Italy ;  and  in  Italy 
there  was  no  place  where  this  would  be  so  likely  to  occur  as  at  Rome. 


jdV  I  N  T  H  O  D  U  (•  Tl  0  N  . 

§  5.   The  language  in  which  it  was  written. 

This  is  a  vexed  and  still  unsettled  question,  and  it  docs  not  seem  to  be  pos- 
Bible  to  determine  it  with  any  considerable  degree  of  certainty.  Critics  of 
the  ablest  name  have  been  divided  on  it,  and  what  is  remarkable,  have  appealed 
to  the  same  arguments  to  prove  exactly  opposite  opinions — one  class  arguing 
that  the  style  of  the  epistle  is  such  as  to  prove  that  it  was  written  in  Hebrew, 
and  the  other  appealing  to  the  same  proofs  to  demonstrate  that  it  was  written 
in  Greek.  Among  those  who  have  supposed  that  it  was  written  in  Hebrew 
are  the  following,  viz.  : — Some  of  the  Fathers — as  Cleihent  of  Alexandria, 
Theodoret,  John  Damascenus,  Theophylact ;  and  among  the  moderns,  Micha 
clis  has  been  the  most  strenuous  defender  of  this  opinion.  This  opinion  was 
also  held  by  the  late  Dr.  James  P.  Wilson,  who  says,  "  It  was  probably  written 
in  the  vulgar  language  of  the  Jews  ;"  that  is,  in  that  mixture  of  Hebrew, 
Syriac,  and  Chaldcc,  which  was  usually  spoken  in  the  time  of  the  Saviour, 
and  which  was  known  as  the  Syro-Chaldaic. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  great  body  of  critics  have  supposed  it  was  written  in 
the  Greek  language.  This  was  the  opinion  of  Fabricius,  Lightfoot,  Whitby, 
Beausobre,  Capellus,  Basnage,  Mill,  and  others,  and  is  also  the  opinion  of 
Lardner,  Hug,  Stuart,  and  perhaps  of  most  modern  critics.  These  opinions 
may  be  seen  examined  at  length  in  Michaelis'  Introduction,  Hug,  Stuart,  and 
Lardner. 

The  arguments  in  support  of  the  opinion  that  it  was  written  in  Hebrew 
are,  briefly,  the  following  :  fl.)  The  testimony  of  the  Fathers.  Thus  Cle- 
ment of  Alexandria  says,  "  Paul  wrote  to  the  Hebrews  in  the  Hebrew  lan- 
guage, and  Luke  carefully  translated  it  into  Greek."  Jerome  says,  "  Paul 
as  a  Hebrew  wrote  to  the  Hebrews  in  Hebrew — Scripserat  ut  Hebrajus  He- 
brseis  Hebraice  ;"  and  then  he  adds,  "  this  epistle  was  translated  into  Greek, 
60  that  the  colouring  of  the  style  was  made  diverse  in  this  way  from  that  of 
Paul's."  (2.)  The  fact  that  it  was  written  for  the  use  of  the  Hebrews,  who 
epoke  the  Hebrew,  or  the  Talmudic  language,  is  alleged  as  a  reason  for  sup- 
posing that  it  must  have  been  written  in  that  language.  (3.)  It  is  alleged 
by  Michaelis,  that  the  style  of  the  Greek,  as  we  now  have  it,  is  far  more  pure 
and  classical  than  Paul  elsewhere  employs,  and  that  hence  it  is  to  be  inferred 
that  it  was  translated  by  some  one  who  was  master  of  the  Greek  language. 
On  this,  however,  the  most  eminent  critics  disagree.  (4.)  It  is  alleged  by 
Michaelis,  that  the  quotations  in  the  epistle,  as  we  have  it,  are  made  from  the 
Spptuagint,  and  that  they  are  foreign  to  the  purpose  which  the  writer  had  in 
view  as  they  are  now  quoted,  whereas  they  are  exactly  in  point  as  they  stand 
in  the  Hebrew.  Hence  he  infers  that  the  original  Hebrew  was  quoted  by  the 
author,  and  that  the  translator  used  the  common  version  at  hand  instead  of 
making  an  exact  translation  for  himself.  Of  the  fact  alleged  here,  however, 
there  may  be  good  ground  to  raise  a  question  ;  and  if  it  were  so,  it  would  not 
prove  that  the  writer  might  not  have  used  the  common  and  accredited  trans- 
lation, though  less  to  his  purpose  than  the  original.  Of  the  fact,  moreover, 
to  which  Michaelis  here  refers,  Prof.  Stuart  says,  "  He  has  not  adduced  a 
single  instance  of  what  he  calls  a  tvrong  translation  which  wears  the  appear- 
ance of  any  considerable  probability."  The  only  instance  urged  by  Michaelis 
which  seems  to  me  to  be  plausible  is  Heb.  i.  7.  These  are  the  principal 
arn-umcnts  which  have  been  urged  in  favour  of  the  opinion  that  this  epistle 
was  written  in  the  Hebrew  language.  They  are  evidently  not  conclusive. 
The  only  argument  of  any  considerable  weight  is  the  testimony  of  some  of 
the  Fathers,  and  it  may  be  doubted  whether  they  gave  this  as  a  matter  of 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

historic  fact  or  only  as  a  matter  of  opinion.  See  Hug's  Introduction,  §  144. 
It  is  morally  certain  that  in  one  respect  their  statement  cannot  be  true.  They 
state  that  it  was  translated  by  Luke  ;  but  it  is  capable  of  the  clearest  proof 
that  it  was  not  translated  by  Luke,  the  author  of  the  Gospel  and  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  since  there  is  the  most  remarkable  dissimilarity  in  the  style. 

On  tlic  other  hand  there  are  alleged  in  favour  of  the  opinion  that  it  was 
written  in  Greek  the  following  considerations,  viz.  : — 

(1.)  The  fact  that  we  have  no  Hebrew  original.  If  it  was  written  in 
Hebrew,  the  original  was  early  lost.  None  of  the  Fathers  say  that  they  had 
seen  it ;  none  quote  it.  All  the  copies  that  we  have  are  in  Greek.  If  it  was 
written  in  Hebrew,  and  the  original  was  destroyed,  it  must  have  been  at  a 
very  early  period,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  no  one  should  have  mentioned  the 
fact  or  alluded  to  it .  Besides,  it  is  scarcely  conceivable  that  the  original 
should  have  so  soon  perished,  and  that  the  translation  should  have  altogether 
taken  its  place.  If  it  was  addressed  to  the  Hebrews  in  Palestine,  the  same 
reason  which  made  it  proper  that  it  should  have  been  written  in  Hebrew 
would  have  led  them  to  retain  it  in  that  language,  and  we  might  have  sup- 
posed that  Origen,  or  Eusebius,  or  Jerome,  who  lived  there,  or  Ephrem  the 
Syrian,  would  have  adverted  to  the  fact  that  there  was  there  a  Hebrew  ori- 
ginal. The  Jews  were  remarkable  for  retaining  their  sacred  books  in  the 
language  in  which  they  were  written,  and  if  this  were  written  in  Hebrew  it  is 
difficult  to  account  for  the  fact  that  it  was  so  soon  suffered  to  perish. 

(2.)  The  presumption — a  presumption  amounting  to  almost  a  moral  cer 
tainty — is,  that  an  apostle  writing  to  the  Christians  in  Palestine  would  write 
in  Greek.  This  presumption  is  based  on  the  following  circumstances  :  (a)  The 
fact  that  all  the  other  books  of  the  New  Testament  were  written  in  Greek, 
unless  the  gospel  by  Matthew  be  an  exception.  (6)  This  occurred  in  cases 
where  it  would  seem  to  have  been  as  improbable  as  it  was  that  one  writing 
to  the  Hebrews  should  use  that  language.  For  instance,  Paul  wrote  to  the 
church  in  Home  in  the  Greek  language,  though  the  Latin  language  was  that 
which  was  in  universal  use  there,  (c)  The  Greek  was  a  common  language 
in  the  East.  It  seems  to  have  been  familiarly  spoken,  and  to  have  been  com- 
monly understood,  (d)  Like  the  other  books  of  the  New  Testament,  this 
epistle  does  not  appear  to  have  been  intended  to  be  confined  to  the  Hebrews 
only.  The  writings  of  the  apostles  were  regarded  as  the  property  of  the 
church  at  large.  Those  writings  would  be  copied  and  spread  abroad.  The 
Greek  was  a  far  better  language  for  such  a  purpose  than  the  Hebrew.  It 
was  polished  and  elegant  ;  was  adapted  to  the  purpose  of  discoursing  on  moral 
subjects ;  was  fitted  to  express  delicate  shades  of  thought,  and  was  the  lan- 
guage which  was  best  understood  by  the  world  at  large,  (e)  It  was  the  lan- 
guage which  Paul  would  naturally  use  unless  there  was  a  strong  reason  for 
his  employing  the  Hebrew.  Though  he  was  able  to  speak  in  Hebrew  (Acts 
xxi.  40),  yet  he  had  spent  his  early  days  in  Tarsus,  where  the  Greek  was  the 
vernacular  tongue,  and  it  was  probably  that  which  he  had  first  learned. 
Besides  this,  when  this  epistle  was  written  he  had  been  alisent  from  Palestine 
about  twenty-five  years,  and  in  all  that  lime  he  had  been  there  but  a  few 
days.  He  had  been  where  the  Greek  language  was  universally  spoken. 
He  had  been  among  Jews  who  spoke  that  language.  It  was  the  language 
used  in  their  synagogues,  and  Paul  had  addressed  them  in  it.  After  thus 
preaching,  conversing,  and  writing  in  that  language  for  twenty-five  years,  is 
it  any  wonder  that  he  should  prefer  writing  in  it ;  that  he  should  naturally 
do  it  5  and  is  it  not  to  be  presumed  that  he  would  do  it  in  this  case  ?    These 


•XVI  INVBODUCTION. 

presumptions  are  so  strong  that  they  ought  to  be  allowed  to  settle  a  question 
of  tliis  kind  unless  there  is  positive  proof  to  the  contrary. 

(3.)  There  is  internal  proof  that  it  was  written  in  the  Greek  language. 
The  evidence  of  this  kind  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  writer  bases  an  argu- 
ment on  the  meaning  and  force  of  Greek  words,  which  could  not  have  oc- 
curred had  he  written  in  Hebrew.     Instances  of  this  kind  are  such  as  these. 

(a)  In  ch.  ii.  he  applies  a  passage  from  Ps.  viii.  to  prove  that  the  Son  of  God 
must  have  had  a  human  nature,  which  was  to  be  exalted  above  the  angels, 
and  placed  at  the  head  of  the  creation.  The  passage  is,  "  Thou  hast  made 
hira  a  little  while  inferior  to  the  angels."  Ch.  ii.  7,  margin.  In  the  He- 
brew, in  Ps.  viii.  5,  the  word  rendered  angels,  is  □'riSx — Elohim — God; 
and  the  sense  of  angels  attaAed  to  that  word,  though  it  may  sometimes  occur, 
is  so  unusual,  that  an  argument  would   not  have  been  built  on  the  Hebrew. 

(b)  In  ch.  vii.  1,  the  writer  has  explained  the  name  Melchizedek,  and  trans- 
lated it  king  of  Salem — telling  what  it  is  i/i  Greek — a  thing  which  would 
not  have  been  done  had  he  written  in  Hebrew,  where  the  word  was  well 
understood.  It  is  possible,  indeed,  that  a  translator  might  have  done  this, 
but  the  explanation  seems  to  be  interwoven  with  the  discourse  itself,  and  to 
constitute  a  part  of  the  argument,  (c)  In  ch.  ix.  16,  17,  there  is  an  argument 
on  the  meaning  of  the  word  covenant — iia^ijKti — which  could  not  have  oc- 
curred had  the  epistle  been  in  Hebrew.  It  is  founded  on  the  double  meaning 
of  that  word — denoting  both  a  covenant  and  a  testament,  or  will.  The  He- 
orew  word — n'"l3 — Berith — has  no  such  double  signification.  It  means 
covenant  only,  and  is  never  used  in  the  sense  of  the  word  will,  or  testament. 
The  proper  translation  of  that  word  would  be  cvv^fiKrt — syntheke — but  the 
translators  of  the  Septuagint  uniformly  used  the  former — Sia&n»:ri—diatkeke — 
and  on  this  word  the  argument  of  the  apostle  is  based.  This  could  not  have 
been  done  by  a  translator  ;  it  must  have  been  by  the  original  author,  for  it  is 
incorporated  into  the  argument,  (c?)  In  ch.  x.  3 — 9,  the  author  shows  that 
Christ  came  to  make  an  atonement  for  sin,  and  that  in  order  to  this  it  was 
necessary  that  he  should  have  a  human  body.  This  he  shows  was  not  only 
necessary,  but  was  predicted.  In  doing  this,  he  appeals  to  Ps.  xl.  6 — "A 
body  hast  thou  prepared  for  me."  But  the  Hebrew  here  is,  "  Mine  ears  hast 
thou  opened."  This  passage  would  have  been  much  less  pertinent  than  the 
other  form — "  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  me  ;" — and  indeed  it  is  not  easy  to  see 
how  it  would  bear  at  all  on  the  object  in  view.  See  ver.  10.  But  in  the 
Septuagint  the  phfase  stands  as  he  quotes  it — "  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  for 
me  ;"  a  fact  which  demonstrates,  whatever  difficulties  there  may  be  about  the 
principle  on  which  he  makes  the  quotation,  that  the  epistle  was  written  in 
Greek.  It  may  be  added,  that  it  has  nothing  of  the  appearance  of  a  transla- 
tion. It  is  not  stiff,  forced,  or  constrained  in  style,  as  translations  usually  are. 
It  is  impassioned,  free,  flowing,  full  of  animation,  life  and  colouring,  and  has 
all  the  appearance  of  being  an  original  composition.  So  clear  have  these 
considerations  appeared,  that  the  great  body  of  critics  now  concur  in  the 
opinion  that  the  epistle  was  originally  written  in  Greek. 

§  6.  The  design  and  general  argument  of  the  Epistle. 

The  general  purpose  of  this  epistle  is,  to  preserve  those  to  whom  it  was 
sent  from  the  danger  of  apostasy.  Their  danger  on  this  subject  did  not  arise 
60  much  from  persecution,  as  from  the  circumstances  that  were  fitted  to  attract 
them  again  to  the  Jewish  religion.  The  temple,  it  is  supposed,  and  indeed  it 
is  evident,  was  still  standing.     The  morning  and  evening  sacrifice  was  still 


INTRODUCTION.  XV\i 

ofTered.  The  splendid  rites  of  that  imposing  religion  were  still  observed. 
The  authority  of  the  law  was  undisputed.  Moses  was  a  lawgiver,  sent 
from  God,  and  no  one  doubted  that  the  Jewish  form  of  religion  had  been 
instituted  by  their  fathers  in  conformity  with  the  direction  of  God.  Their 
religion  had  been  founded  amidst  remarkable  manifestations  of  the  Deity — in 
flames,  and  smoke,  and  thunder  ;  it  had  been  communicated  by  the  ministra- 
tion of  angels  ;  it  had  on  its  side  and  in  its  favour  all  the  venerableness  and 
sanction  of  a  remote  antiquity  ;  and  it  commended  itself  by  the  pomp  of  its 
ritual,  and  by  the  splendour  of  its  ceremonies.  On  the  other  hand,  the  new 
form  of  religion  had  little  or  nothing  of  this  to  commend  it.  It  was  of  recent 
origin.  It  was  founded  by  the  Man  of  Nazareth,  who  had  been  trained  up 
in  their  own  land,  and  who  had  been  a  carpenter,  and  who  had  had  no  ex- 
traordinary advantages  of  education.  Its  rites  were  few  and  simple.  It  had 
no  splendid  temple  service ;  none  of  the  pomp  and  pageantry,  the  music  and 
the  magnificence  of  the  ancient  religion.  It  had  no  splendid  array  of  priests 
in  magnificent  vestments,  and  it  had  not  been  imparted  by  the  ministry  of 
angels.  Fishermen  were  its  ministers  ;  and  by  the  body  of  the  nation  it  was 
regarded  as  a  schism,  or  heresy,  that  enlisted  in  its  favour  only  the  most 
humble  and  lowly  of  the  people. 

In  these  circumstances,  how  natural  was  it  for  the  enemies  of  the  gospel  in 
Judea  to  contrast  the  two  forms  of  religion,  and  how  keenly  would  Christians 
there  feel  it !  All  that  was  said  of  the  antiquity  and  the  divine  origin  of  the 
Jewish  religion  they  knew  and  admitted  ;  all  that  was  said  of  its  splendour 
and  magnificence  they  saw  ;  and  all  that  was  said  of  the  humble  origin  of 
their  own  religion  they  were  constrained  to  admit  also.  Their  danger  was  not 
'that  arising  from  persecution.  It  was  that  of  being  affected  by  considerations 
like  these,  and  of  relapsing  again  into  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  and  of 
apostatizing  from  the  gospel ;  and  it  was  a  danger  which  beset  no  other  part 
of  the  Christian  world. 

To  meet  and  counteract  this  danger  was  the  design  of  this  epistle.  Ac- 
cordingly the  writer  contrasts  the  two  religions  in  all  the  great  points  on 
which  the  minds  of  Christians  in  Judea  would  be  likely  to  be  affected,  and 
shows  the  superiority  of  the  Christian  religion  over  the  Jewish  in  every 
respect,  and  especially  in  the  points  that  had  so  much  attracted  their  atten- 
tion, and  affected  their  hearts.  He  begins  by  showing  that  the  Author  of  the 
Christian  religion  was  superior  in  rank  to  any  and  all  who  had  ever  delivered 
the  word  of  God  to  man.  He  was  superior  to  the  prophets,  and  even  to  the 
angels.  He  was  over  all  things,  and  all  things  were  subject  to  him.  There 
was,  therefore,  a  special  reason  why  they  should  listen  to  him,  and  obey  his 
commands.  Ch.  i.,  ii.  He  was  superior  to  Moses,  the  great  Jewish  law- 
giver, whom  they  venerated  so  much,  and  on  whom  they  so  much  prided 
themselves.  Ch.  iii.  Having  shown  that  the  Great  Founder  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion  was  superior  to  the  prophets,  to  Moses,  and  to  the  angels,  the 
writer  proceeds  to  show  that  the  Christian  religion  was  characterized  by  having 
a  High  Priest  superior  to  that  of  the  Jews,  and  of  whom  the  Jewish  high 
priest  was  but  a  type  and  emblem.  He  shows  that  all  the  rites  of  the  ancient 
religion,  splendid  as  they  were,  were  also  but  types,  and  were  to  vanish  away 
— for  they  had  had  their  fulfilment  in  the  realities  of  the  Christian  faith.  He 
shows  that  the  Christian's  High  Priest  derived  his  origin  and  his  rank  from 
a  more  venerable  antiquity  than  the  Jewish  high  priest  did — for  he  went 
back  to  Melchizedek,  who  lived  long  before  Aaron,  and  that  he  had  far 
superior  dignity  from  the  fact  that  he  had  entered  into  the  Holy  of  Holies 
in  heaven.  The  Jewish  High  Priest  entered  onc«  a  year  into  the  Most  Holy 
2* 


XVUl  INTRODUCTION. 

place  in  the  temple  ;  the  Great  High  Priest  of  the  Christian  faith  had  entered 
into  the  Most  Holy  place — of  which  that  was  hut  the  type  and  emblem — into 
heavejUJ  In  short,  whatever  there  was  of  dignity  and  honour  in  the  Jewish 
Talth  had  more  than  its  counterpart  in  the  Christian  religion  ;  and  while  the 
Christian  religion  was  permanent,  that  was  fading.     The  riles  of  the  Jewish 
system,  magnificent  as  they  were,  were  designed  to  be  temporary.     They 
were  mere  types  and  shadows  of  things  to  come.     They  had  their  fulfilment 
in  Christianity.     That  had  an  Author  more  exalted  in  rank  by  far  than  the 
author  of  the  Jewish  system  ;  it  had  a  High  Priest  more  elevated  and  en- 
during ;  it  had  rites  which  brought  men  nearer  to  God  ;  it  was  the  substance 
of  what  in  the  temple  service  was  type  and  shadow.     By  considerations  such 
as  these  the  author  of  this  epistle  endeavours  to  preserve  them  from  apostasy. 
Why  should  they  go  back  ?     Why  should  they  return  to  a  less  perfect  sys- 
tem ?      Why  go  back  from  the  substance  to  the  shadow  ?     Why  turn  away 
from  the  true  sacrifice  to  the  type  and  emblem  ?     Why  linger  around  the 
earthly  tabernacle,  and  contemplate  the  high  priest  there,  while  they  had  a 
more  perfect  and  glorious  High  Priest,  who  had  entered  into  the  heavens  ? 
And  why  should  they  turn  away  from  the  only  perfect  sacrifice — the  great 
offering  made  for  transgression — and  go  back  to  the  bloody  rites  which  were 
to  be  renewed  every  day  ?     And  why  forsake  the  perfect  system — the  system 
that  was  to  endure  for  ever — for  that  which  was  soon  to  vanish  away^  ?     The 
author  of  this  epistle  is  very  careful  to  assure  them  that  if  they  thus  aposta- 
tized, there  could  be  no  hope  for  them.     If  they  now  rejected  the  sacrifice  of 
the  Son  of  God,  there  was  no  other  sacrifice  for  sin.     That  was  the  last  great 
sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  men.     It  was  designed   to  close  all  bloody  offerings.* 
It  was  not  to  be  repeated.     If  that  was  rejected,  there  was  no  other.     The 
Jewish  rites  were  soon  to  pass  away  ;  and  even  if  they  were  not,  they  could  not 
cleanse  the  conscience  from  sin.     Persecuted  then  though  they  might  be  ; 
reviled,  ridiculed,  opposed,  yet  they  should  not  abandon  their  Christian  hope, 
for  it  was  their  all  ;  they  should  not  neglect  him  who  spake  to  them  from 
heaven,  for  in  dignity,  rank,  and  authority,  he  far  surpassed  all  who  in  former 
times  had  made  known  the  will  of  God  to  men. 

This  epistle,  therefore,  occupies  a  most  important  place  in  the  book  of  reve- 
lation, and  without  it  that  book  would  be  inCT)mplete.  It  is  the  most  full 
explanation  which  we  have  of  the  meaning  of  the  Jewish  institutions.  In 
the  epistle  to  the  Romans  we  have  a  system  of  religious  doctrine,  and  parti- 
cularly a  defence  of  the  great  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith.  Important 
doctrines  are  discussed  in  the  other  epistles  ;  but  there  was  something  wanted 
that  would  show  the  meaning  of  the  Jewish  rites  and  ceremonies,  and 
Iheir  connexion  with  the  Christian  scheme ;  something  which  would  show 
us  how  the  one  was  preparatory  to  the  other  ;  and  I  may  add,  something 
that  would  restrain  the  imagination  in  endeavouring  to  show  how  the  one  was 
designed  to  introduce  the  other.  The  one  was  a  system  of  types  and  sha- 
dows. But  on  nothing  is  the  human  mind  more  prone  to  wander  than  on 
the  subject  of  emblems  and  analogies.  This  has  been  shown  abundantly  in  the 
experience  of  the  Christian  church,  from  the  time  of  Origcn  to  the  present 
Systems  of  divinity,  commentaries,  and  sermons,  have  shown  everywhere  how 
prone  men  of  ardent  imaginations  have  been  to  find  types  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  ancient  economy  ;  to  discover  hidden  meanings  in  every 
ceremony  ;  and  to  regard  every  pin  and  hook  and  instrument  of  the  taber- 
nacle as  designed  to  inculcate  some  truth,  and  to  shadow  forth  some  fact  or 
doctrine  of  the  Christian  revelation.  It  was  desirable  to  have  one  book  that 
should  tell  how  that  is ;  to  fetter  down  the  imagination  and  bind  it  by  severe 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

rules,  and  to  restrain  the  vagaries  of  honest  but  credulous  devotion.  Such  a 
book  we  have  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  The  ancient  system  is  there 
explained  by  one  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  who  un- 
derstood it  thoroughly  ;  by  one  who  had  a  clear  insight  into  the  relation 
which  it  bore  to  the  Christian  economy  ;  by  one  who  was  under  the  influ- 
ence of  divine  inspiration,  and  who  could  not  err.  The  Bible  would  have 
been  incomplete  without  this  book  ;  and  when  I  think  of  the  relation  between 
the  Jewish  and  the  Christian  systems  ;  when  I  look  on  the  splendid  rites  of 
the  ancient  economy,  and  ask  their  meaning ;  when  I  wish  a  full  guide  to 
heaven,  and  ask  for  that  which  gives  completeness  to  the  whole,  I  turn 
instinctively  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  When  I  wish  also  that  which 
shall  give  me  the  most  elevated  view  of  the  Great  Author  of  Christianity 
and  of  liis  work,  and  the  most  clear  conceptions  of  the  sacrifice  which  he 
made  for  sin  ;  and  when  I  look  for  considerations  that  shall  be  most  effectual 
in  restraining  the  soul  from  apostasy,  and  for  considerations  to  enable  it  to 
bear  trials  with  patience  and  with  hope,  my  mind  recurs  to  this  book,  and  I 
feel  that  the  book  of  revelation,  and  the  hopes  of  man,  would  be  incomplete 
without  it. 


THE  EPISTLE   OF 


PAUL  THE  APOSTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ANALYSIS   OF   THE   CHAPTER. 

The  main  object  of  the  epistle  is  to 
commend  the  Christian  religion  to 
those  who  were  addressed  in  it  in 
such  a  way  as  to  prevent  defection 
from  it.  This  is  done,  principally, 
by  showing  its  superiority  to  the  Mo- 
saic system.  The  great  danger  of 
Christians  in  Palestine  was  of  re- 
lapsing into  the  Jewish  system.  The 
imposing  nature  of  its  rites  ;  the  pub- 
lic sentiment  in  its  favour ;  the  fact 
of  its  antiquity,  and  its  undisputed 
divine  origin,  would  all  tend  to  that. 
To  counteract  this,  the  writer  of  this 
epistle  shows  that  the  gospel  had 
higher  claims  on  their  attention,  and 
that  if  that  was  rejected  ruin  was  in- 
evitable. In  doing  this,  he  begins, 
in  this  chapter,  by  showing  the  supe- 
riority of  the  Author  of  Christianity 
to  prophets,  and  to  the  angels ;  that 
is,  that  he  had  a  rank  that  entitled 
him  to  the  profoundest  regard.  The 
drift  of  this  chapter,  therefore,  is  to 
show  the  dignity  and  exalted  nature 
of  the  Author  of  the  Christian  system 
—  the  Son  of  God.  The  chapter 
comprises  the  following  points  : — 

I.  The  announcement  of  the  fact 
that  God,  who  had  formerly  spoken 
by  the  prophets,  had  in  this  last  dis- 
pensation spoken  by  his  Son.  Vs.  1, 2. 

II.  The  statement  respecting  his 
rank  and  dignity.  He  was  (1)  the 
heir  of  all  things ;  (2)  the  creator  of 
the  worlds;  (3)  the  brightness  of  the 
divine  glory  and  the  proper  expres- 
sion of  his  nature ;  (4)  he  upheld  all 
things.     Vs.  2,  3. 

III.  The  work  and  exaltation  of 
he  Author  of  the  Christian  system. 


(1.)  He,  by  his  own  unassisted  agency 
purified  us  from  our  sins.  (2.)  He  is 
seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
(3.)  He  has  a  more  exalted  and  va- 
luable inheritance  than  the  angels, 
in  proportion  as  his  name  is  more 
exalted  than  theirs.     Vs.  3,  4. 

IV.  Proofs  that  what  is  here   as- 
scribed  to  him  belongs  to  him,  parti- 
cularly that  he  is  declared  to  be  su 
perior  to  the  angels.     Vs.  5 — 14. 

(1.)  The  angels  have  never  been 
addressed  with  the  title  of  Son. 
Ver.  5. 

(2.)  He  is  declared  to  be  the  object 
of  worship  by  the  angels,  while  they 
are  employed  merely  as  the  messen- 
gers of  God.     Vs.  6,  7. 

(3.)  He  is  addressed  as  God,  and 
his  throne  is  said  to  be  for  ever  and 
ever.     Vs.  8,  9. 

(4.)  He  is  addressed  as  immutable. 
He  is  declared  to  have  laid  the  foun- 
dations  of  heaven  and  earth  ;  and 
though  they  would  perish,  yet  he 
would  remain  the  same.  Vs.  10 — 12 
(5.)  None  of  the  angels  had  been 
addressed  in  this  manner,  but  they 
were  employed  in  the  subordinate 
work  of  ministering  to  the  heirs  of 
salvation.     Vs.  13,  14. 

From  this  train  of  reasoning,  the 
inference  is  drawn  in  ch.  ii.  1 — 4,  that 
we  ought  to  give  diligent  heed  to  what 
had  been  spoken.  The  Great  Author 
of  the  Christian  scheme  had  peculiar 
claims  to  be  heard,  and  there  was 
peculiar  danger  in  disregarding  hia 
message.  The  object  of  this  chapter 
is,  to  impress  those  to  whom  the  epis- 
tie  was  addressed  with  the  high  claims 
of  the  Founder  of  Christianity,  and 
to  show  that  it  was  superior  in  this 
respect  to  any  other  system. 

21 


Zii 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


G' 


CHAPTER  I. 

OD,  who'  at  sundry  times 
and    in    divers    manners 


1.  God  who  at  sundry  times.  The 
comnienccnieiit  of  this  epistle  varies 
from  all  the  others  wliich  Paul  wrote. 
In  every  otiier  instance  he  at  first 
announees  his  name,  and  the  name 
of  the  ciiurch  or  of  the  individual  to 
whom  he  wrote.  In  regard  to  the 
reason  why  he  here  varies  from  that 
custom,  see  the  Introduction,  §  3. 
This  commences  with  the  foil  ac- 
knowlcdjTment  of  his  belief  that  God 
had  made  important  revelations  in 
past  times,  but  tliat  now  he  had  com- 
municated his  will  in  a  manner  that 
more  especially  claimed  tiicir  atten- 
tion. Tliis  announcement  was  of 
particular  importance  here.  He  was 
writing  to  those  who  had  been  trained 
up  in  the  full  belief  of  the  truths 
taught  by  the  prophets.  As  the  ob- 
ject of  the  apostle  was  to  show  the 
superior  claims  of  the  gospel,  and  to 
lead  them  from  putting  confidence  in 
the  rites  instituted  in  accordance  with 
the  directions  of  the  Old  Testament, 
it  was  of  essential  importance  that 
he  should  admit  that  tiicir  belief  of 
the  inspiration  of  the  prophets  was 
well  founded.  He  was  not  an  infidel. 
He  was  not  disposed  to  call  in  question 
the  divine  origin  of  the  books  which 
were  regarded  as  given  by  inspira- 
tion. He  fully  admitted  all  that  had 
been  held  by  the  Hebrews  on  that 
head,  and  yet  showed  that  the  new 
revelation  had  more  important  claims 
to  their  attention.  The  word  ren- 
dered "  at  sundry  times" — TroXv/icpioi — 
means  in  many  parts.  It  refers  here 
to  the  fact  that  the  former  revelation 
had  been  given  in  various  parts.  It 
had  not  all  been  given  at  once.  It 
had  been  communicated  from  time 
to  time  as  the  exigencies  of  the  peo- 
ple required,  and  as  God  ciiosc  to 
communicate  it.  At  one  time  it  was 
by  history,  then  by  propliecy,  by  po- 
etry, by  proverbs,  by  some  solemn 
and  special  message,  &-c.  The  an- 
cient revelation  was  a  collection  of 
various  writings,  on   different  sub- 


spake  in  time  past  unto  the  fa- 
thers by  the  prophets, 


a  Nu.  12.  6.  8. 


jects,  and  given  at  different  times 
but  note  God  had  addressed  us  by  hia 
Son — the  one  great  Messenger  who 
had  come  to  finish  the  divine  com- 
munications, and  to  give  a  uniform 
and  connected  revelation  to  mankind. 
The  contrast  here  is  between  the 
numerous  separate  ^arts  of  the  revela- 
tion given  by  the  prophets,  and  the 
oneness  of  that  given  by  his  Son. 
The  word  does  not  elsewhere  occur 
in  the  New  Testament.  ^  And  in 
divers  inanners — roXvTpdirias.  In  many 
ways.  It  was  not  all  in  one  mode. 
He  had  employed  various  methods  in 
communicating  his  will.  At  one 
time  it  was  by  direct  communication, 
at  another  by  dreams,  at  another  by 
visions,  &,c.  In  rtgard  to  the  various 
methods  which  God  employed  to  com- 
municate his  will,  see  Introduction 
to  Isaiah,  ^  7.  In  contradistinction 
from  these,  God  had  now  spoken  by 
his  Son.  He  had  addressed  us  in  one 
uniform  manner.  It  was  not  by 
dreams,  or  visions ;  it  was  a  direct 
communication  from  him.  The  word 
used  here,  also,  occurs  nowhere  else 
in  the  New  Testament.  ^  In  times 
past.  Formerly ;  in  ancient  times 
The  series  of  revelations  began,  as 
recorded  by  Moses,  with  Adam  (Gen. 
iii.),  and  terminated  with  Malachi — 
a  period  of  more  than  three  thousand 
five  hundred  years.  From  Malachi 
to  the  time  of  tlie  Saviour  there  were 
no  recorded  divine  communications, 
and  the  whole  period  of  written  reve- 
lation, or  when  the  divine  comnmni- 
cations  were  recorded  from  Moses  to 
Malachi,  was  about  a  thousand  years, 
IT  Unto  the  fathers.  To  our  ances- 
tors ;  to  the  people  of  ancient  times. 
IT  By  the  prophets.  Tlie  word  prophet 
in  the  Scriptures  is  used  in  a  wide 
signification.  It  means  not  only  those 
who  predict  future  events,  but  those 
who  communicate  tiie  divine  will  on 
any  subject.  See  Notes  on  Rom.  xii. 
(J;  I.  Cor.  xiv.  1.  It  is  used  here  jh 
that   large  sense  —  as   denoting    all 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


23 


2  Hath   in    these    last   days 


those  by  whom  God  had  made  com- 
munications to  the  Jews  in  former 
•jimes. 

2.  Hath  in  these  last  days.  In  this 
the  final  dispensation  ;  or  in  this  dis- 
pensation under  which  the  affairs  of 
the  world  will  be  wound  up.  Phrases 
similar  to  this  occur  frequently  in  the 
Scriptures.  They  do  not  imply  that 
the  world  was  soon  coming  to  an  end, 
but  that  that  was  the  last  dispensa- 
tion, the  last  period  of  the  world. 
There  had  been  the  patriarchal  pe- 
riod, the  period  under  the  law,  tlie 
prophets,  &c.,  and  this  was  the  period 
during  which  God's  last  method  of 
communication  would  be  enjoyed, 
and  under  which  the  world  would 
close.  It  might  be  a  very  long  period, 
but  it  would  be  the  last  one ;  and  so 
far  as  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  is 
concerned,  it  might  be  the  longest 
period,  or  longer  than  all  the  others 
put  together,  but  still  it  would  be  the 
last  one.  See  Notes  on  Acts  ii.  17  ; 
Isa.  ii.  2.  IT  Spoken  unto  us.  The 
word  "  Ms"  here  does  not  of  necessity 
imply  that  the  writer  of  the  epistle 
had  actually  heard  him,  or  that  they 
had  heard  him  to  whom  tne  epistle 
was  written.  It  means  that  God  had 
now  communicated  his  will  to  man 
by  his  Son.  It  may  be  said  with  en- 
tire propriety  that  God  has  spoken 
to  MS  by  his  Son,  though  we  have  not 
personally  heard  or  seen  him.  We 
have  what  he  spoke  and  caused  to  be 
recorded  for  our  direction.  IT  By  his 
Son.     The  title  commonly  given  to 

»  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  denoting  his  pe- 
culiar relation  to  God.  It  was  under- 
stood by  the  Jews  to  denote  equality 
with  God  (Notes,  John  v.  18 ;  comp. 
John  X.  33.  36),  and  is  used  with  such 

,  a  reference  here.  See  Notes  on  Rom. 
i.  4,  where  the  meaning  of  the  phrase 
"Son  of  God"  is  fully  considered.  It 
is  implied  here  that  the  fact  that  the 
Son  of  God  has  spoken  to  us  imposes 
the  highest  obligations  to  attend  to 
what  he  has  said;  that  he  has  an 
authority  s\ipenoi  to  all  those  who 


spoken"  unto   us   by  his  Son, 

a  De.  18.  15. 


have  spoken  in  past  times ;  and  that 
there  will  be  peculiar  guilt  in  refusing 
to  attend  to  what  he  has  spoken. 
See  ch.  ii.  1 — 4;  comp.  ch.  xii.  25. 
The  reasons  for  the  superior  respect 
which  should  be  shown  to  the  reve- 
lations of  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
sucli  as  these: — (1.)  His  rank  and 
dignity.  He  is  the  equal  with  God 
(John  i.  1),  and  is  himself  called  God 
in  this  chapter.  Ver.  8.  He  has  a 
right,  therefore,  to  command,  and 
when  lie  speaks  men  should  obey. 
(2.)  The  clearness  of  tlie  truths  which 
he  communicated  to  man  on  a  great 
variety  of  subjects  that  are  of  the 
highest  moment  to  the  world.  Re- 
velation has  been  gradual — like  the 
breaking  of  the  day  in  the  east.  At 
first  there  is  a  little  light ;  it  increases 
and  expands  till  objects  become  more 
and  more  visible,  and  then  the  sun 
rises  in  full-orbed  glory.  At  first  we 
discern  only  the  existence  of  some 
object — obscure  and  undefined  ;  then 
we  can  trace  its  outline ;  then  its 
colour,  its  size,  its  proportions,  its 
drapery — till  it  stands  before  us  fully 
revealed.  So  it  has  been  with  reve- 
lation. There  is  a  great  variety  of 
subjects  which  we  now  see  clearly, 
which  were  very  imperfectly  under- 
stood by  the  teaching  of  the  prophets, 
and  would  be  now  if  we  had  only  the 
Old  Testament.  Among  them  are 
the  following  :  —  (a)  The  character 
of  God.  Christ  came  to  make  him 
known  as  a  merciful  being,  and  to 
show  how  he  could  be  mercitul  as 
well  as  just.  The  views  given  of  God 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  are  far  more  clear 
than  any  given  by  the  ancient  pro- 
phets ;  compared  with  those  enter 
tained  by  the  ancient  philosophers, 
they  are  like  the  sun  compared  with 
the  darkest  midnight.  (6)  The  way 
in  which  man  may  be  reconciled  to 
God.  The  New  Testament — which 
may  be  considered  as  that  which  God 
"  has  spoken  to  us  by  his  Son" — has 
told  us  how  the  great  work  of  beinj 
1  reconciled  to  Goi  can  be  effected. 


2i 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4. 


whom  he  liath  appointed  heir' 

a  Ps.  2.  8.  ft  Jiio.  1.  3. 

The  Lord  Jesus  told  us  that  he  came 
to  "  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many ;" 
that  he  laid  down  his  life  for  his 
friends ;  that  he  was  ahout  to  die  for 
man ;  that  he  would  draw  all  men  to 
him.  The  prophets  indeed  —  parti- 
cularly Isaiah — tiirew  much  light  on 
these  points.  But  the  mass  of  the 
people  did  not  understand  their  reve- 
lations. Tiiey  pertained  to  future 
events — always  difficult  to  be  imder- 
stood.  But  Christ  has  told  us  the 
way  of  salvation,  and  he  has  made  it 
so  plain  that  he  who  runs  may  read, 
(c)  The  moral  precepts  of  the  Re- 
deemer are  superior  to  those  of  any 
and  all  that  had  gone  before  him. 
They  are  elevated,  pure,  expansive, 
benevolent — such  as  became  the  Son 
of  God  to  proclaim.  Indeed  this  is 
admitted  on  all  hands.  Infidels  are 
constrained  to  acknowledge  that  all 
the  moral  precepts  of  the  Saviour  are 
eminently  pure  and  benignant.  If 
they  were  obeyed,  the  world  would 
be  filled  with  justice,  truth,  purity, 
and  benevolence.  Error,  fraud,  hy- 
pocrisy, ambition,  wars,  licentious- 
ness, and  intemperance,  would  cease  ; 
and  the  opposite  virtues  would  diffuse 
happiness  over  the  face  of  the  world. 
Prophets  had  indeed  delivered  many 
moral  precepts  of  great  importance, 
but  the  purest  and  most  extensive 
body  of  just  principles  of  good  morals 
on  earth  are  to  be  found  in  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Saviour.  {d)  He  has 
given  to  us  the  clearest  view  which 
man  has  had  of  the  future  state  ;  and 
he  has  disclosed  in  regard  to  that  fu- 
ture state  a  class  of  truths  of  the 
deepest  interest  to  mankind,  which 
were  before  wholly  unknown  or  only 
partially  revealed.  1.  He  has  re- 
vealed the  cert;\inty  of  a  state  of  fu- 
ture existence — in  opposition  to  the 
Sadducccs  of  all  ages.  This  was 
denied  before  he  came  by  multitudes, 
and  where  it  was  not,  the  arguments 
by  which  it  was  sujiportcd  were  oflen 
of  the  feeblest  kind.  The  truth  was 
held  by  some — like  Plato  and  his  fbl- 


of  all  things,  by  whom*  also  he 
made  the  worlds ; 


lowers — but  the  arguments  on  which 
they  relied  were  feeble,  and  such  at 
were  unfitted  to  give  rest  to  the  souL 
The  truth  they  had  obtained  by  tra- 
DiTio.N ;  the  arguments  were  theui 
OWN.  2.  He  revealed  the  doctrine 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  This 
before  was  doubted  or  denied  by 
nearly  all  the  world.  It  was  held  to 
be  absurd  and  impossible.  The  Sa- 
viour taught  its  certainty  ;  he  raised 
up  more  than  one  to  show  that  it  was 
possible ;  he  was  himself  raised,  to 
put  the  whole  matter  beyond  debate. 
3.  He  revealed  the  certainty  of  future 
judgment — the  judgment  of  all  man- 
kind. 4.  He  disclosed  great  and 
momentous  truths  respecting  the  fu- 
ture state.  Before  he  came,  all  was 
dark.  The  Greeks  spoke  of  Ely- 
sian  fields,  but  they  were  dreams  of 
the  imagination ;  the  Hebrews  had 
some  faint  notion  of  a  future  state 
where  all  was  dark  and  gloomy,  with 
perhaps  an  occasional  glimpse  of  the 
truth  that  there  is  a  holy  and  blessed 
heaven ;  but  to  the  mass  of  mind  all 
was  obscure.  Christ  revealed  a  hea- 
ven, and  told  us  of  a  liell.  He  showed 
us  that  the  one  might  be  gained  and 
the  other  avoided.  He  presented  im- 
portant motives  for  doing  it;  and 
had  he  done  nothing  more,  his  com- 
munications were  worthy  the  pro- 
found  attention  of  mankind.  I  may 
add,  (3.)  That  the  Son  of  God  has 
claims  on  our  attention  from  the 
MANNER  in  wliich  he  spoke.  He  spoke 
as  one  having  "  authority."  Matt, 
vii.  29.  He  spoke  as  a  tcitness  of 
what  he  saw  and  knew.  John  iii.  11. 
He  spoke  without  doubt  or  ambiguity 
of  God,  and  heaven,  and  hell.  His 
is  the  language  of  one  who  is  fami- 
liar with  all  that  he  describes ;  who 
saw  all,  who  knew  all.  There  is  no 
hesitancy  or  doubt  in  his  mind  of  the 
trutli  of  what  he  speaks ;  and  he 
speaks  as  if  his  whole  soul  were  im- 
pressed with  its  unspeakable  import- 
ance. Never  were  so  momentous 
communications  made  to  men  of  hell 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


3^ 


as  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus (see  Notes  on  Matt,  xxiii.  33) ; 
never  were  announcements  made  so 
fitted  to  awe  and  appal  a  sinful  world. 
If  W}w7n  he  hath  appointed  heir  of  all 
things.  See  Ps.  ii.  8 ;  comp.  Notes 
Rom.  viii.  17.  This  is  language 
taken  from  the  fact  that  he  is  '  the 
Son  of  God.'  If  a  son,  then  he  is  an 
heir — for  so  it  is  usually  among  men. 
This  is  not  to  be  taken  literally,  as 
if  he  inherits  anything  as  a  man 
does.  An  heir  is  one  who  inherits 
anything  after  the  death  of  its  pos- 
sessor— usually  his  father.  But  this 
cannot  be  applied  in  this  sense  to  the 
Lord  Jesus.  The  language  is  used 
to  denote  his  rank  and  dignity  as  the 
Son  of  God.  As  such  all  things  are 
his,  as  the  property  of  a  father  de- 
scends to  his  son  at  his  death.  The 
word  rendered  heir  —  K\ripov6nos  — 
means  properly  (1)  one  who  acquires 
anything  by  lot ;  and  (2)  an  heir  in 
the  sense  in  which  we  usually  under- 
stand the  word.  It  may  also  denote 
a  possessor  of  anything  received  as  a 
portion,  or  of  property  of  any  kind. 
See  Rom.  iv.  13,  14.  It  is  in  every 
instance  rendered  heir  in  the  New 
Testament.  Applied  to  Christ,  it 
means  that  as  the  Son  of  God  he  is 
possessor  or  lord  of  all  things,  or  that 
all  things  are  his.  Comp.  Acts  ii. 
36 ;  X.  36 ;  John  xvii.  10 ;  xvi.  15. 
"  All  tilings  that  the  Father  hath  are 
mine."  The  sense  is,  that  all  things 
belong  to  the  Son  of  God.  Who  is 
so  rich  then  as  Christ  ?  Who  so  able 
to  endow  his  friends  with  enduring 
and  abundant  wealth  ?  If  By  lohom. 
By  whose  agency ;  or  who  was  the 
actual  agent  in  the  creation.  Gro- 
tius  supposes  that  this  means,  '  on 
account  of  whom ;'  -and  that  tlie 
meaning  is,  that  the  universe  was 
formed  with  reference  to  the  Messiah, 
in  accordance  with  an  ancient  Jewish 
*  maxim.  But  the  more  common  and 
classical  usage  of  the  word  rendered 
by  (ii-^t),  when  it  governs  a  genitive, 
as  here,  is  to  denote  the  instrumental 
cause  ;  the  agent  by  which  anything 
is  done.  See  Matt.  i.  22;  ii.  5.  15. 
23  ;  Luke  xviii.  31 ;  John  i.  17  ;  Acts 


ii.  22.  43  ;  iv.  16 ;  xii.  9  ;  Rom.  ii.  16, 
V.  5.  It  may  he  true  that  the  uni- 
verse  was  formed  with  reference  to 
the  glory  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  that 
this  world  was  brought  mto  being  in 
order  to  show  his  glory  ;  but  it  would 
not  do  to  establish  that  doctrine  on  a 
passage  like  this.  Its  obvious  and 
proper  meaning  is,  that  he  was  the 
agent  of  the  creation — a  truth  that  is 
elsewhere  abundantly  taught.  See 
John  i.  3.  10;  Coll.  i.  16;  Eph.  iii. 
9  ;  I.  Cor.  viii.  6.  This  sense,  also, 
better  agrees  with  the  design  of  the 
apostle  in  this  place.  His  object  is 
to  set  forth  the  dignity  of  the  Son  of 
God.  This  is  better  shown  by  the 
consideration  that  he  was  the  creator 
of  all  things,  than  that  all  things 
were  made  for  him.  If  The  worlds. 
The  universe,  or  creation.  So  the 
word  here—  ahiv — is  undoubtedly  used 
in  ch.  xi.  3.  The  word  properly 
means  age — an  indefinitely  long  pe- 
riod  of  time ;  then  perpetuity,  ever, 
eternity — alioays  being.  For  an  ex- 
tended  investigation  of  the  meaning 
of  the  word,  the  reader  may  consult 
an  essay  by  Prof  Stuart,  in  the  Spirit 
of  the  Pilgrims,  for  1829,  pp.  406— 
452.  From  the  sense  of  age,  or  du. 
ration,  the  word  comes  to  denote  the 
present  and  future  age  ;  the  present 
world  and  the  world  to  come ;  the 
present  world,  with  all  its  cares, 
anxieties,  and  evils ;  the  men  of  this 
world  —  a  wicked  generation,  &,c. 
Then  it  means  the  world — the  mate- 
rial universe — creation  as  it  is.  The 
only  perfectly  clear  use  of  the  word 
in  this  sense  in  the  New  Testament 
is  in  Heb.  xi.  3,  and  there  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  "Through  faith  we 
understand  tliat  the  worlds  were  made 
by  the  word  of  God,  so  that  things 
which  are  seen  were  not  made  of 
things  which  do  appear."  The  pas- 
sage before  us  will  bear  the  same  in- 
terpretation,  and  this  is  the  most  ob- 
vious  and  intelligible.  What  would 
be  the  meaning  of  saying  that  the 
ages  or  dispensations  were  made  by 
the  son  of  God  ?  The  Hebrews  used 
the  word  —  th)]?  —  'Oldm  —  in  tlie 
same  sense.     It  properly  means  age. 


36 


HKBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


3  Who"   being   the    bright- 

a  Jno.  1.  U. 


duration ;  and  tlicncc  it  came  to  be 
used  by  tliein  to  denote  tlie  world — 
made  up  of  ages  or  generations ;  and 
tlien  the  world  itself.  This  is  the 
fair,  and,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  only 
intellig-ible  interpretation  of  tliis  pas- 
sage— an  interpretation  amply  sus- 
tained by  texts  referred  to  above  as 
demonstrating  that  the  universe  was 
made  by  the  ageney  of  the  Son  of 
God.  Comp.  Notes  on  ver.  10,  ar.d 
on  John  i.  3. 

3.  Who  being  the  brightness  of  his 
glory.  This  verse  is  designed  to  state 
tJie  dignity  and  exalted  rank  of  tiie 
Son  of  God,  and  is  exceedingly  im- 
portant with  reference  to  a  correct 
view  of  the  Redeemer.  Every  word 
which  is  employed  is  of  great  im- 
portance, and  should  be  clearly  un- 
derstood in  order  to  a  correct  appre- 
hension of  the  passage.  P'irst,  in 
what  manner  does  it  reler  to  the  Re- 
deemer ?  To  his  divine  nature  ?  To 
the  mode  of  his  existence  before  lie 
■was  incarnate  ?  Or  to  him  as  he  ap- 
peared on  earth  ?  Most  of  the  ancient 
commentators  supposed  that  it  retcr- 
red  to  his  divine  dignity  before  he 
became  incarnate,  and  proceed  to 
argue  on  that  supposition  on  tlie 
mode  of  the  divine  existence.  Tiie 
true  solution  seems  to  me  to  be,  that 
it  refers  to  him  as  incarnate,  but  still 
has  reference  to  him  as  the  incarnate 
Son  of  God.  It  refers  to  him  as  Me- 
diator, but  not  simply  or  mainly  as  a 
man.  It  is  rather  to  him  as  divine — 
thus,  in  his  incarnation,  being  the 
brightness  of  the  divine  glory,  and 
the  express  image  of  God.  That  this 
is  the  correct  view  is  apparent,  I 
think,  from  the  whole  scope  of  the 
passage.  The  drift  of  the  argument 
is,  to  show  his  dignity  as  he  has 
spoken  to  us  (ver.  1),  and  not  in  the 

feriod  antecedent  to  his  incarnation, 
t  is  to  show  his  claims  to  our  reve- 
rence as  sent  from  God — the  last  and 
greatest  of  the  messengers  which  God 
Has  sent  to  man.  But  then  it  is  a 
description  of  him  as  he  actually  is — 


ness  of  his  glory,  and  the  ex- 
press image  of  his  person,  and 


the  incarnate  Son  of  God ;  the  equal 
of  the  Father  in  human  flesh ;  and 
this  leads  the  writer  to  dwell  on  his 
divine  character,  and  to  argue  from 
that.  Vs.  8. 10— 12.  I  have  no  doubt, 
therefore,  that  this  description  refers 
to  his  divine  nature,  but  it  is  the  di- 
vine  nature  as  it  appears  in  human 
flesh.  An  examination  of  the  words 
used  will  prepare  us  for  a  more  clear 
comprehension  of  tlie  sense.  The 
word  glory — Sd^a — means  properly  a 
seeming,  an  appearance ;  and  then 
(I)  praise,  applause,  honour;  (2)  dig- 
nity, splendour,  glory  ;  (3)  brightness, 
dazzling  light;  and  (4)  excellence, 
perfection,  such  as  belongs  to  God, 
and  such  as  there  is  in  heaven.  It 
is  probably  used  here,  as  the  word — 
110J — Kdbhodh — is  often  among  the 
Hebn.'ws,  to  denote  splendour,  bright- 
ness, and  refers  to  the  divine  pertec- 
tions  as  resembling  a  bright  light,  or 
the  sun.  The  word  is  applied  to  the 
sun  and  stars,  I.  Cor.  xv.  40,  41  ;  to 
tlie  light  which  Paul  saw  on  the  way 
to  D'amascus,  Acts  xxii.  1 1  ;  to  the 
shining  of  Moses'  face,  II.  Cor.  iii.  7  ; 
to  the  celestial  light  which  surrounds 
the  angels.  Rev.  xviii.  1  ;  and  glori- 
fied saints,  Luke  ix.  31,  32;  and  to 
the  dazzling  splendour  or  majesty  iii 
wliich  God  is  enthroned.  II.  Thess, 
i.  y  ;  II.  Pet.  i.  17  ;  Rev.  xv.  8  ;  xxi. 
11.  23.  Here  there  is  a  comparison 
of  God  with  the  sun ;  he  is  encom- 
passed with  splendour  and  majesty  ; 
he  is  a  being  of  light  and  of  infinite 
perfection.  It  refers  to  all  in  God 
that  is  bright,  splendid,  glorious  ;  and 
the  idea  is,  that  the  Son  of  God  is  the 
brightness  of  it  all.  The  word  ren- 
dered brightness — anavyavita — occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament. 
It  means  properly  reflected  splendour, 
or  tile  liglit  which  emanates  from  a 
luminous  body.  The  rays  or  beams 
of  the  sun  are  its  "  brightness,"  or 
that  by  which  the  sun  is  seen  and 
known.  Tlic  sun  itself  we  do  not 
see;  the  beams  which  flow  from, it 
we  do  sec.     The   meaning  here  is. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


upholding  all  things  by  the 
word  of  his  power,  when "  he 
had  by  himself  proved  our  sins, 

tliat  if  God  be  represented  under  the 
imag'e  of  a  luminous  body,  as  he  is 
in  the  Scriptures  (see  Ps.  Ixxiv.  1 1  ; 
Mai.  iv.  2),  then  Christ  is  the  ra- 
diance of  that  light,  the  brightness 
of  that  luminary.  Stuart.  He  is  that 
by  which  we  perceive  God,  or  by 
which  God  is  made  known  to  us  in 
his  real  perfections.  Comp.  JoJm  i. 
18 ;  xiv.  9. — It  is  by  him  only  that 
the  true  character  and  glory  of  God 
is  known  to  men.  This  is  true  in 
regard  to  the  great  system  of  revela- 
tion ;  but  it  is  especially  true  in  re- 
gard to  the  views  which  men  liave 
of  God.  Matt.  xi.  27.  "No  man 
knoweth  the  Son  but  the  Father ; 
neither  knoweth  any  man  the  Father 
save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever 
the  Son  will  reveal  him."  The 
human  soul  is  dark  respecting  the 
divine  character  until  it  is  enlight- 
ened by  Christ.  It  sees  no  beauty, 
no  glory  in  his  nature — nothing  that 
excites  wonder,  or  that  wins  the  af- 
fections, until  it  is  disclosed  by  the 
Redeemer.  Somehow  it  happens,  ac- 
count for  it  as  men  may,  that  there 
are  no  elevating  practical  views  of 
God  in  the  world  ;  no  views  that  en- 
gage and  hold  the  affections  of  tlie 
soul ;  no  views  that  are  transforming 
and  purifying,  but  those  which  are 
derived  from  the  Lord  Jesus.  A  man 
becomes  a  Christian,  and  at  once  he 
has  elevated,  practical  views  of  God. 
He  is  to  him  the  most  glorious  of  all 
beings.  He  finds  supreme  delight  in 
contemplating  liis  perfections.  But 
ie  may  be  a  philosopher  or  an  infidel, 
and  though  he  may  profess  to  believe 
in  the  existence  of  God,  yet  the  be- 
lief excites  no  practical  influence  on 
him ;  he  sees  nothing  to  admire ; 
^  nothing  which  leads  liim  to  worship 
him.  Comp.  Rom.  i.  21.  IT  And  the 
express  image.  The  word  here  used 
— 'X^a^aKTiip — likewise  occurs  nowhere 
else  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is 
that  from  which  our  word  character 
is    derived.      It    properly    means    a 


sat  down  *  on  tl>e  right  hand  of 
the  Majesty  on  high. 

ac.  7.  27;  9.  1214.         b  Ps.  110.  1. 


graving-tool ;  and  then  somethine 
engraved,  or  stamped — a  character- 
as  a  letter,  mark,  sign.  The  imago 
stamped  on  coins,  seals,  wax,  ex- 
presses the  idea ;  and  the  sense  here 
is,  that  if  God  be  represented  under 
the  idea  of  a  substance,  or  being, 
then  Christ  is  the  exact  resemblance 
of  that — as  an  image  is  of  the  stamp 
or  die.  The  resemblance  between  a 
stamp  and  the  figure  which  is  im- 
pressed is  exact ;  and  so  is  the  re- 
semblance between  the  Redeemer  and 
God.  See  Coll.  i.  15.  "  Who  is  tha 
image  of  the  invisible  God."  IT  Of 
his  person.  The  word  person  with 
us  denotes  an  individual  being,  and 
is  applied  to  human  beings,  consist- 
ing of  body  and  soul.  We  do  not 
apply  it  to  anything  dead — not  using 
it  witli  reference  to  the  body  when 
the  spirit  is  gone.  It  is  applied  to 
man — with  individual  and  separate 
consciousness  and  will ;  with  body 
and  soul ;  with  an  existence  sepa- 
rate from  others.  It  is  evident  that 
it  cannot  be  used  in  this  sense  when 
applied  to  God,  and  that  this  word 
does  not  express  the  true  idea  of  the 
passage  here.  Tindal  renders  it, 
more  accurately,  substance.  The 
word  in  the  original  —  vTrdaraai; — 
wlience  our  word  hypostasis,  means, 
literally,  a  foundation,  or  substructure. 
Then  it  means  a  well-founded  trust, 
firm  expectation,  confidence,  firm- 
ness, boldness ;  and  then  reality,  sub- 
stance, essential  nature.  In  the  New 
Testament,  it  is  rendered  confident^ 
or  confidence  (II.  Cor.  ix.  4;  xi.  17; 
Heb.  iii.  14) ;  substance  (Heb.  xi.  1); 
and  person  in  the  passage  before  us. 
It  is  not  elsewhere  used.  Here  it 
properly  refers  to  the  essential  nature 
of  God — that  v/hich  distinguishes  him 
from  all  other  beings,  and  which,  if 
I  may  so  sa.y,  constitutes  him  God; 
and  the  idea  is,  that  the  Redeemer  is 
the  exact  resemblance  of  that.  This 
resemblance  consists,  probably,  in  the 
following    things  —  though   perhapa 


38 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


the  enumeration  does  not  include  all 
— but  in  tlioBu  lie  certainly  resembles 
God,  or  is  his  exact  imajrc.  (1.)  In 
his  original  mode  of  being,  or  be- 
fore the  incarnation.  Ol"  this  we 
know  little.  Hut  he  had  a  "glory 
with  the  Father  before  the  world 
was."  John  xvii.  5.  He  was  "  in 
the  beginning  with  God,  and  was 
God."  John  i.  1.  He  was  in  inti- 
mate union  with  the  Father,  and  was 
one  with  Him,  in  certain  respects ; 
though  in  certain  other  respects, 
there  was  a  distinction.  I  do  not 
see  any  evidence  in  the  Scriptures  of 
the  doctrine  of  "eternal  generation," 
and  it  is  certain  that  that  doctrine 
militates  against  the  proper  eternity 
of  the  Son  of  God.  The  natural  and 
fiiir  meaning  of  that  doctrine  would 
be,  that  tiicre  was  a  time  when  he 
had  not  an  existence,  and  when  he 
began  to  be,  or  was  begotten.  But 
tlie  Scripture  doctrine  is,  that  he  had 
a  strict  and  proper  eternity.  I  see 
no  evidence  tliat  he  was  in  any  senstc 
a  derived  being — deriving  his  exist- 
ence and  his  divinity  from  the  Fa- 
ther. The  Fathers  of  the  Christian 
church,  it  is  believed,  held  that  the 
Son  of  God  as  to  his  divine,  as  well 
as  his  human  nature,  was  derived 
from  the  Father.  Hence  the  Nieene 
creed  speaks  of  him  as  "  begotten  of 
the  Fatiicr  before  all  worlds ;  God  of 
God,  Light  of  Light,  very  God  of  very 
God,  begotten  not  made" — language 
implying  derivation  in  his  divine  na- 
ture. They  held,  with  one  voice, 
that  he  was  God  ;  but  it  was  in  tiiis 
manner.  See  Stuart,  Excursus  IH. 
on  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  But 
this  is  incredible,  and  impossible.  A 
derived  being  cannot  in  any  proper 
sense  be  God ;  and  if  there  is  any 
attribute  which  the  Scriptures  have 
ascribed  to  the  Saviour  with  peculiar 
clearness,  it  is  that  of  proper  eternity. 
Rev.  i.  11.  18;  John  i.  1.  It  may 
have  been  that  it  was  by  him  that  the 
perfections  of  God  were  made  known 
before  tlie  incarnation  to  the  angelic 
world,  but  on  that  point  the  Scrip- 
tures are  Milent.  (2.)  On  eartji  he 
Was    the    brightness    of    the    divine 


glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his 
person,  (a)  It  was  by  him,  eminently, 
that  God  was  made  known  to  men— 
as  it  is  by  tlie  beams  of  the  sun  that 
that  is  made  known,  (fc)  He  bore 
an  exact  resemblance  to  God.  He 
was  just  such  a  being  as  we  should 
suppose  God  to  be  were  he  to  become 
incarnate,  and  to  act  as  a  man.  He 
was  the  embodied  representation  of 
tiie  Deity.  He  was  pure — like  God. 
He  was  benevolent — like  God.  He 
spake  to  the  winds  and  storms — like 
God.  He  healed  diseases — like  God. 
He  raised  the  dead — like  God.  He 
wielded  the  power  which  God  only 
can  wield,  and  he  manifested  a  cha- 
racter in  all  respects  like  that  which 
we  should  suppose  God  would  evince 
if  he  appeared  in  human  flesh,  and 
dwelt  among  men.  And  tliis  is  say- 
ing much.  It  is  in  fact  saying  that 
the  account  in  the  Gospels  is  real, 
and  that  the  Christian  religion  is 
true.  Uninspired  men  could  never 
have  drawn  such  a  character  as  that 
of  Jesus  Christ  unless  that  character 
had  actually  existed.  The  attempt 
has  often  been  made  to  describe  God, 
or  to  show  how  he  would  speak  and 
act  if  he  came  down  to  earth.  Thus 
the  Hindoos  speak  of  the  incarna- 
tions of  Vishnu ;  and  thus  Homer, 
and  Virgil,  and  most  of  the  ancient 
poets,  speak  of  the  ap|x;arance  of  the 
gods,  and  describe  them  as  they  were 
supposed  to  appear.  But  how  differ 
ent  from  the  character  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  !  T/iey  are  full  of  p.vssion,  and 
lust,  and  anger,  and  contention,  and 
strife ;  they  come  to  mingle  in  bat- 
tles, and  to  take  part  with  contending 
armies,  and  they  evince  the  same 
spirit  as  men,  and  are  merely  men  of 
great  power,  and  more  gigantic  pas- 
siofls ;  but  Christ  is  gob  i.\  human 
NATURE.  The  form  is  that  of  man ; 
the  spirit  is  that  of  God.  He  walks, 
and  eats,  and  sleeps  as  a  man ;  he 
thinks,  and  speaks,  and  acts  like  God. 
He  was  born  as  a  man — but  the  an- 
gels adored  him  as  God.  As  a  man 
he  ate ;  yet  by  a  word  he  created 
food  for  thousands,  as  if  he  were  Ggd 
Like  a  man  he  slept  on  a  pillow  while 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


^ 


the  vessel  was  tossed  by  the  waves  ; 
like  God  he  rose,  and  rebuked  the 
winds  and  they  were  still.  As  a  man 
he  went,  with  aflectionate  interest, 
to  tlie  house  of  Martha  and  Mary. 
As  a  man  he  sympathized  with  them 
in  their  atHiction,  and  wept  at  the 
grave  of  their  brother ;  like  God  he 
spoke,  and  the  dead  came  forth  to 
the  land  of  the  living.  As  a  man  he 
travelled  through  the  land  of  Judea. 
He  was  without  a  home.  Yet  every- 
where the  sick  were  laid  at  his  feet, 
and  health  came  from  his  touch,  and 
strength  from  the  words  of  his  lips — 
as  if  he  were  God.  As  a  man  he 
prayed  in  the  garden  of  Gcthscmane  ; 
he  bore  his  cross  to  Calvary ;  he  was 
nailed  to  the  tree  :  yet  then  the  hea- 
vens grew  dark,  and  the  earth  shook, 
and  the  dead  arose — as  if  he  were 
God.  As  a  man  he  slept  in  the  cold 
tomb — like  God  he  rose,  and  brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light.  He 
lived  on  earth  as  a  man — he  ascended 
to  heaven  like  God.  And  in  all  the 
life  of  the  Redeemer,  in  all  the  variety 
of  trying  situations  in  which  he  was 
placed,  there  was  not  a  word  or  ac- 
tion which  was  inconsistent  with  the 
supposition  that  he  was  the  incarnate 
God.  There  was  no  failure  of  any 
effort  to  heal  the  sick  or  to  raise  the 
dead  ;  no  look,  no  word,  no  deed  that 
is  not  perfectly  consistent  with  this 
supposition ;  but  on  the  contrary,  his 
life  is  full  of  events  which  can  be 
explained  on  no  other  supposition 
than  that  he  was  the  appropriate 
shining  forth  of  the  divine  glory,  and 
the  exact  resemblance  of  the  essence 
of  God.  There  are  not  two  Gods — 
as  there  are  not  two  suns  when  the 
sun  shines.  It  is  the  one  God,  in  a 
mysterious  and  incomprehensible 
manner  shining  into  the  world  in  t!ie 
face  of  Jesus  Christ.  See  Note  on 
II.  Cor.  iv.  6.  As  the  wax  bears  the 
perfect  image  of  the  seal — perfect  not 
only  in  the  outline,  but  in  the  fdling 
up — in  all  the  lines,  and  features,  and 
letters,  so  is  it  with  the  Redeemer. 
There  is  not  one  of  the  divine  per- 
fections which  has  not  the  counter- 
part in  him,  and  if  the  glory  of  the 
3« 


divine  character  is  seen  at  all  by  men, 
it  will  be  seen  in  and  through  him. 
IT  And  upholding  all  things  by  the 
word  of  his  power.  That  is,  by  his 
poweriiil  word,  or  command.  The 
phrase  '  word  of  his  power'  is  a  He- 
braism, and  means  his  efficient  com- 
mand. There  could  not  be  a  more 
distinct  ascription  of  divinity  to  the 
Son  of  God  than  this.  He  upholds 
or  sustains  all  things — i.  e.  the  uni- 
verse. It  is  not  merely  the  earth ; 
not  only  its  rocks,  mountains,  seas, 
animals  and  men,  but  it  is  the  uni- 
verse— all  distant  worlds.  How  can 
he  do  this  who  is  not  God  ?  He  does 
it  by  his  word — his  command.  What 
a  conception !  That  a  simple  com- 
mand should  do  all  this !  So  the 
world  was  made  when  God  "  spake 
and  it  was  done  ;  he  commanded  and 
it  stood  fast."  Ps.  xxxiii.  9.  So  the 
Lord  Jesus  commanded  the  waves 
and  the  winds  and  they  were  still 
(Matt.  viii.  26,  27) ;  so  he  spoke  to 
diseases  and  they  departed,  and  to 
the  dead  and  they  arose.  Comp. 
Gen.  i.  3.  I  know  not  how  men  can 
explain  away  this  ascription  of  infi- 
nite power  to  the  Redeemer.  There 
can  be  no  higher  idea  of  omnipotence 
than  to  say  that  he  upholds  all  things 
by  his  word ;  and  assuredly  he  who 
can  hold  up  this  vast  universe  so  that 
it  does  not  sink  into  anarchy  or  into 
nothing,  must  be  God.  The  same 
power  Jesus  claimed  for  himself. 
See  Matt,  xxviii.  18.  If  When  he  had 
by  himself  purged  our  sins.  '  By  him- 
self— not  by  the  blood  of  bulls  and 
lambs,  but  by  his  own  blood.  This 
is  designed  to  bring  in  the  grand 
feature  of  the  Christian  scheme,  that 
the  purification  made  for  sin  was  by 
his  blood,  instead  of  the  blood  which 
was  shed  in  the  temple-service.  The 
word  here  rendered  "  purged"  means 
purified,  or  expiated.  See  Notes  on 
John  XV.  2.  The  literal  rendering  is, 
'  having  made  purification  for  our 
sins.'  The  purification  or  cleansing 
which  he  effected  was  by  his  blood. 
See  I.  John  i.  7.  "  The  blood  of  Je- 
sus Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin." 
This  the  apostle  here  states  to  have 


30 


IIEKUKVVS. 


[A.  D.  64, 


4  Being  made  so  much  bet- 
ter tlian  the  angels,  as  he  hath 
by  inheritance  obtained  a  more 
excellent  name  than  they. 


been  the  great  object  for  which  he 
came,  and  havint;;-  done  this,  he  sat 
down  on  the  right  hand  of  God.  See 
ch.  vii.  27;  ix.  12 — 14.  It  was  not 
merely  to  teach  that  he  came ;  it  was 
to  purify  the  hearts  of  men,  to  re- 
move tlieir  sins,  and  to  put  an  end 
of  sacrifice  by  tlie  sacrifice  of  him- 
self ^  Sal  down  on  the.  right  hand 
of  the  Majesty  on  high.  Of  God. 
See  Notes  on  Mark  xvi.  19  ;  Eph.  i. 
20—23. 

4.  Being  viade  so  much  better. 
Being  exalted  so  much  above  the 
angels.  The  word  "  better"  here 
does  not  refer  to  moral  character,  but 
to  exaltation  of  rank.  As  Mediator  ; 
as  the  Son  of  God  in  our  nature,  he 
is  exalted  far  above  the  angels. 
IT  Than  the  angels.  Than  all  angels 
of  every  rank.  See  Notes  on  Eph.  i. 
21  ;  eomp.  I.  Pet.  iii.  22.  "  Angels, 
and  authorities  and  powers  being 
made  subject  unto  him."  He  is  ex- 
alted to  his  mediatorial  throne,  and 
all  things  are  placed  beneath  his  feet. 
H  As  he  hath  by  inheritance.  Or  in 
virtue  of  liis  name — the  Son  of  God  ; 
an  exaltation  such  as  is  implied  in 
that  name.  As  a  son  has  a  rank  in 
a  family  above  servants ;  as  he  has 
a  control  over  the  property  above 
that  whicli  servants  have,  so  it  is 
with  the  Mediator.  He  is  the  Son 
of  God ;  angels  are  the  servants  of 
God,  and  tJie  servants  of  t)ie  clmrcli. 
They  occupy  a  place  in  the  universe 
compared  with  tiiat  which  he  occu- 
pies, similar  to  tlie  place  wliich  ser- 
vants in  a  family  occupy  compared 
with  that  which  a  son  has.  To  illus- 
trate and  prove  this  is  the  design  of 
the  remainder  of  this  chapter.  The 
argument  wiiieh  the  apostle  insists 
on  is,  that  tiic  title  "  Thk  Son  of  God" 
is  to  be  ^-ivcn  1o  him  alone.  It  has 
been  conferred  on  no  others.  Though 
the  angels,  and  thougli  saints  arc 
called  in  general  '  sons  of  God,'  yet 


5  For  unto  which  of  the  an- 
gels said  he  at  any  time, "  Thou 
art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I  bo- 

a  Vb.  2.  7. 

the  title  '  Thk  Son  of  God'  has  been 
given  to  him  only.  As  the  apostle 
was  writing  to  Hebrews,  he  makes 
his  appeal  to  the  Hebrew  Scriptures 
alone  for  the  confirmation  of  this  opi- 
nion. ^  A  more  excdlent  name.  To 
wit,  the  name  Son.  It  is  a  more  ho- 
nourable and  exalted  name  than  lias 
ever  been  bestowed  on  them.  It  in- 
volves more  exalted  privileges,  and 
entitles  him  on  whom  it  is  bestowed 
to  higher  respect  and  honour  than 
any  name  ever  bestowed  on  them. 

5.  For  unto  which  of  the  angels,  &c. 
The  object  of  this  is,  to  prove  that  the 
Son  of  God,  who  has  spoken  to  men 
in  these  last  days,  is  superior  to  the 
angels.  As  tlie  apostle  was  writing 
to  those  who  had  been  trained  in  the 
Jewish  religion,  and  who  admitted 
the  authority  of  the  Old  Testament, 
of  course  he  made  his  appeal  to  that, 
and  undoubtedly  referred  lor  proof  to 
those  places  which  were  generally 
admitted  to  relate  to  the  Messialu 
Abarbanel  says,  that  it  was  the  com- 
mon opinion  of  the  Jewish  doctors 
that  the  Alessiah  would  be  exalted 
above  Abraham,  Moses,  and  the  an- 
gels.  Stuart.  There  is  a  difficulty, 
as  we  shall  see,  in  applying  the  pas- 
sages which  follow  to  the  .Messiah — 
a  difficulty  which  we  may  find  it  not 
easy  to  explain.  Some  remarks  will 
be  made  on  the  particular  passaj^cs 
as  we  go  along.  In  general  it  may 
be  observed  here,  (1.)  That  it  is  to  be 
presumed  that  those  passages  were 
in  the  time  of  Paul  applied  to  tlie 
Messiah.  He  seems  to  argue  from 
them  as  though  tliis  was  commonly 
understood,  and  is  at  no  pains  to 
prove  it.  (2.)  It  is  to  be  presumed 
that  those  to  whom  he  wrote  would 
at  once  admit  tliis  to  be  so.  If  tiiis 
were  not  so,  we  cannot  suppose  that 
he  would  regard  this  mode  of  reason- 
ing as  at  all  efficacious,  or  adapted 
to  convince  tiiose  to  whom  he  wrote. 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


SI 


gotten    thee  1     And   again, "   I 

a2Sa.  7.  14. 

(3.)  He  did  not  appreliend  that  the 
application  which  he  made  of  these 
texts  would  be  called  in  question  by 
the  countrymen  of  those  to-  whom  he 
wrote.  It  is  to  be  presumed,  there- 
fore, that  the  application  was  made 
in  accordance  with  the  received  opi- 
nions, and  the  common  interpreta- 
tion. (4.)  Paul  had  been  instructed 
in  early  life  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Jewish  relig-ion,  and  made  fully  ac- 
quainted with  all  their  principles  of 
interpretation.  It  is  to  be  presumed, 
therefore,  Ihat  he  made  these  quota- 
tions in  accordance  with  the  preva- 
lent belief,  and  with  principles  which 
were  well  understood  and  admitted. 
(5.)  Every  ag^e  and  people  have  their 
own  modes  of  reasoning.  They  may 
differ  from  others,  and  others  may 
regard  them  as  unsound,  and  yet  to 
that  age  and  people  they  are  satis- 
factory and  conclusive.  The  ancient 
philosophers  employed  modes  of  rea- 
soning which  would  not  strike  us  as 
the  most  forcible,  and  whicii  perhaps 
we  should  not  regard  as  tenable.  So 
it  is  with  the  Chinese,  the  Hindus, 
the  Mohammedans  now.  So  it  was 
with  the  writers  of  the  dark  ages 
who  lived  under  the  influence  of  the 
scholastic  philosophy.  They  argue 
from  admitted  principles  in  their 
country  and  time — just  as  we  do  in 
ours.  Their  reasoning  was  as  satisfac- 
tory to  them  as  ours  is  to  us.  (6.)  In 
a  writer  of  any  particular  age  we  are 
to  expect  to  find  the  prevailing  mode 
of  reasoning,  and  appeals  to  the  usual 
arguments  on  any  subject.  We  are 
not  to  look  for  methods  of  argument 
founded  on  the  inductive  philosophy 
in  the  writings  of  the  schoolmen,  or 
in  the  writings  of  the  Chinese  or  the 
Hindus.  It  would  be  unreasonable 
>  to  expect  it.  We  are  to  expect  that 
they  will  be  found  to  reason  In  ac- 
cordance with  the  customs  of  their 
time  ;  to  appeal  to  such  arguments 
as  were  commonly  alleged ;  and  if 
they  are  reasoning  with  an  adversary, 
to  make   use  of  the  points  which  he 


will  be  to  him  a  Father,  and  he 
shall  be  to  me  a  Son  ? 

concedes,  and  to  urge  them  as  fitted 
to  convince  him.  And  this  is  not 
wrong.  It  may  strike  him  with  more 
force  than  it  does  us ;  it  may  be  that 
we  can  see  that  is  not  the  most  solid 
mode  of  reasoning,  but  still  it  may 
not  be  in  itself  an  improper  method. 
That  the  writers  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment should  have  used  that  mode  of 
reasoning  sometimes,  is  no  more  sur- 
prising than  that  we  find  writers  in 
China  reasoning  from  acknowledged 
principles,  and  in  the  usual  manner 
there,  or  than  that  men  in  our  own 
land  reason  on  the  principles  of  the 
inductive  philosophy.  These  remarks 
may  not  explain  all  the  difficulties  in 
regard  to  the  proof- texts  adduced  by 
Paul  in  this  chapter,  but  they  may 
remove  some  of  them,  and  may  so 
prepare  the  way  that  we  may  be  able 
to  dispose  of  them  all  as  we  advance. 
In  the  passage  which  is  quoted  in 
this  verse,  there  is  not  mucli  diffi 
culty  in  regard  to  the  propriety  of 
its  being  thus  used.  The  difficulty 
lies  in  the  subsequent  quotations  in 
the  chapter.  IT  Said  he  at  any  time. 
He  never  used  language  respecting 
the  angels  like  that  whicli  he  em- 
ploys respecting  his  Son.  He  never 
applied  to  any  one  of  them  the  name 
Son.  IT  Thou  art  my  Son.  The  name 
^  sons  of  God,'  is  applied  in  the  Scrip- 
tures to  saints,  and  may  have  been 
given  to  the  angels.  But  the  argu- 
ment here  is,  that  the  name  '  my 
Son'  has  never  been  given  to  any  one 
of  them  particularly  and  by  eminence 
In  a  large,  general  sense,  they  are 
the  sons  of  God,  or  the  children  of 
God,  but  the  name  is  given  to  the 
Lord  Jesus,  the  Messiah,  in  a  pecu- 
liar sense,  implying  a  peculiar  rela- 
tion to  him,  and  a  peculiar  dominion 
over  all  things.  This  passage  ia 
quoted  from  Psalm  ii. — a  Psalm  that 
is  usually  believed  to  pertain  particu- 
larly to  the  Messiah,  and  one  of  the 
few  Psalms  that  have  undisputed  re- 
ference to  him.  See  Notes  on  Acts  iv. 
25 ;  xiii.  33.     IT  This  day.    See  Notes 


39 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


on  Acts  xiii.  33,  where  this  passage 
is  applied  to  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
from  the  dead;  —  proving  that  the 
phrase  'this  day'  does  not  refer  to 
the  doctrine  of  eternal  generation, 
but  to  tlie  resurrection  of  the  Re- 
deemer  "I  he   FIRST-BEGOTTEN  of  thc 

dead."  Rev.  i.  5.  Tluis  'I'licodorct 
Bays  of  the  phrase  'tliis  day,'  "  it  docs 
not  express  liis  eternal  generation, 
but  tiiat  wliieh  is  connected  with 
time."  Tlie  argument  of  thc  apostle 
here  does  not  turn  on  the  lime  when 
this  was  said,  but  on  thc  fact  that 
this  was  said  to  him  and  not  to  any 
one  of  the  angels,  and  this  argument 
will  have  equal  force  whether  the 
phrase  be  understood  as  referring  to 
the  fact  of  his  resurrection,  or  to  his 
previous  existence.  The  structure 
and  scope  of  the  Second  Psalm  refers 
to  his  exaltation  after  the  kings  of 
the  earth  set  themselves  against  him, 
and  endeavoured  to  east  otF  liis  go- 
vernment from  them.  In  spite  of 
that,  and  subsequent  to  that,  he  would 
set  his  king,  which  they  had  rejected, 
on  his  holy  hill  of  Zion.  See  Ps.  ii. 
2 — 6.  IT  Have  I  begotten  thee.  See 
this  place  explained  in  the  Notes  on 
Acts  xiil  33.  It  must,  from  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  case,  be  understood 
figuratively ;  and  must  mean,  sub- 
stantially, '  I  have  constituted,  or  aj)- 
pointed  thee.'  If  it  refers  to  his  re- 
surrection, it  means  that  tliat  resur- 
rection was  a  kind  of  begetting  to 
life,  or  a  beginning  of  life.  See  Rev. 
i.  5.  And  yet  tliough  Paul  (-\cts  xiii. 
33)  has  applied  it  to  the  resurrection 
of  the  Redeemer,  and  though  the 
name  '  Son  of  God'  is  applied  to  him 
on  account  of  his  resurrection  (see 
Notes  on  Rom.  i.  4),  yet  I  confess 
this  does  not  seem  to  me  to  come 
up  to  all  that  the  writer  here  in- 
tended. The  phrase,  '  The  Son  of 
God,'  I  suppose,  properly  denotes 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  sustained  a  rela- 
tion to  God,  designated  by  that  name, 
corresponding  to  the  relations  whieii 
he  sustained  to  man,  designated  by 
the  name  '  the  Son  of  maii.^  The  one 
implied  that  lie  had  a  peculiar  rela- 
tion to  God,  as  the  other  implied  that 


he  had  a  peculia-r  relation  to  man. 
This  is  indisputable.     But  on  what 
particular    account    thc    name    was 
given  him,  or  how  he  was  manifested 
to  be  the  Son  of  God,  has  been  the 
great  question.     Whether  the  name 
refers  to  the  mode  of  his  existence 
before   the    incarnation,  and    to   his 
'  being  begotten  from  eternity,'  or  to 
the  incarnation  and  the  resurrection, 
has  long  been  a  point  on  which  men 
have  been  divided  in  opinion.     The 
natural   idea   conveyed    by  thc  title 
'  THE  Son  of  God'  is,  that  he  sustained 
a  relation  to  God  which  implied  more 
than  was  human  or  angelic  ;  and  this 
is  certainly  the  drift  of  the  argument 
of  the   apostle   liere.     I  do  not  see, 
however,  that  he  refers  to   the  doc- 
trine of  '  eternal  generation,'  or  that 
he  means  to  teach  that.     His  point 
is,  that  God  had  declared  and  treated 
him  as  a  Son — as  superior  to  the  an- 
gels and  to  men,  and  that  this  was 
shown  in  what  had  been  said  of  him 
in  the  Old  Testament.     Tliis  would 
be   equally   clear,   whether   there    is 
reference  to  the  doctrine  of  eternal 
generation  or  not.     The  sense  is,  '  he 
is  more  than  human.     He    is  more 
than  angelic.    He  has  been  addressed 
and  treated  as  a  Son — which  none  of 
the  angels  have.     They  are  regarded 
simply  as  ministering  spirits.     They 
sustain  subordinate  stations,  and  are 
treated  accordingly.     He,  on  tlie  con- 
trary, is  the  briglitness  of  the  divine 
glory.     He  is  treated  and  addressed 
as  a  Son.     In  his  original  existence 
this  was  so.     In  his  incarnation  this 
was  so.     When  on  eartii  this  was  so; 
and    in    his    resurrection,  ascension, 
and  session  at  the  rioht  hand  of  God, 
he  was  treated  in  all   resi)eets  as  a 
Son — as  superior  to  all  servants,  and 
to  all  ministering  spirits,'    Tiie  exact 
reference,  then,  of  the  phrase  'this 
day  have    I    begotten   thee,'    in    tiie 
Psalm,  is  to  the   act  of  constituting 
iiim  in  a  public  manner  the  Son  of 
God — and  refers  to  God's  setting  hira 
as  king  on  the  "  lioly  iiill  of  Zion" — 
or  making  liim  king  over  the  church 
and  the  world  as  ^lessiah  ;  and  this 
was  done,  eminently,  as  Paul  show» 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  I, 


33 


6  'And  again,  when  he  bring- 

1  or,  Kken  he  bring-eth  again. 

(Acts  xiii.),  by  the  resurrection.     It 
was  based,  however,  on  what  was  fit 
and    proper.     It  was    not  arbitrary. 
Tliere  was  a  reason  why  he  should 
thus  be  exalted  rather  than  a  man  or 
an  angel ;  and  this  was,  that  he  was 
the  God  incarnate,  and  had  a  nature 
that  qualified  him  for  universal  em- 
pire, and  he  was  thus  appropriately 
called   "the    Son  of  God."     If  And 
again,  I  will  be  to  him  a  Father.  This 
passage  is  evidently  quoted  from  II. 
Sam.  iv.  14.     A  sentiment  similar  to 
this    is  found  in  Ps.  Ixxxix.  20 — 27. 
As     these    words     were     originally 
spoken,    they    referred    to    Solomon. 
They  occur  in  a  promise  to   David 
that  he  should   not  fail  to  have  an 
heir  to  sit  on  his  throne,  or  that  his 
throne    should    be    perpetual.      The 
promise  was  particularly  designed  to 
comfort  him  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
God  would  not  suffer  him  to  build  the 
temple  because  his  hands  had  been 
defiled  with  blood.     To  console  him 
in    reference  to  that,  God    promises 
him    far   greater   honour    than    that 
would    be.      He    promises    that   the 
house  should  be  built  by  one  of  his 
own  family,  and  that  his  family  and 
kingdom    should   be    established   for 
ever.     That  in  this  series  of  promises 
the  Messiah  was   included  as  a  de- 
scendant of  David,  was  the  common 
opinion    of  the    Jews,   of  the    early 
Christians,  and  has  been  of  the  great 
body   of  interpreters.      It   was    cer- 
tainly from   such  passages    as    this, 
that   the    Jews    derived    the    notion 
which  prevailed  so  universally  in  the 
time  of  the  Saviour  that  the  Messiah 
was  to  be  the  son  or  the  descendant 
(5f  David.     See  Matt.  xxii.  42—45  ; 
ix.  27  ;  XV.  22  ;  xx.  30,  31  ;  Mark  x. 
47,  48  ;  Luke  xviii.  38,  39  ;  Matt.  xii. 
23  ;  xxi.  9  ;  John  vii.  42  ;  Rom.  i.  3  ; 
Rev.  V.  5 ;  xxii.   1 6.     Tiiat   opinion 
was  universal.     No  one  doubted  it ; 
and  it  must  have  been  common  for 
the  Jews  to  apply  such  texts  as  this 
to  the  Messiah.    Paul  would  not  have 
done  it  in  this  instance  unless  it  had 


eth   in    the  first-begotten    into 


been  usual.  Nor  was  it  improper. 
If  the  Messiah  was  to  be  a  descendant 
of  David,  then  it  was  natural  to  apply 
these  promises  in  regard  to  his  pos- 
terity in  an  eminent  and  peculiar 
sense  to  the  Messiah.  They  were  a 
part  of  the  promises  which  included 
him,  and  which  terminated  in  him. 
Tlie  promise,  therefore,  which  is  here 
made  is,  that  God  would  be  to  him, 
in  a  peculiar  sense,  a  Father,  and  he 
should  be  a  Son.  It  does  not,  as  I 
suppose,  pertain  originally  exclu- 
sively to  the  Messiah,  but  included 
him  as  a  descendant  of  David.  To 
him  it  would  be  applicable  in  an 
eminent  sense  ;  and  if  applicable  to 
him  at  all,  it  proved  all  that  tlie  pas- 
sage here  is  adduced  to  prove — that 
the  name  Son  is  given  to  the  Mes- 
siah—  a  name  not  given  to  angels. 
That  is  just  the  point  on  which  the 
argument  turns.  What  is  implied  in 
tlie  bestowment  of  that  name  is 
another  point  on  which  the  apostla 
discourses  in  the  other  parts  of  the 
argument.  I  have  no  doubt,  there- 
fore,  that  while  these  words  originally 
might  have  been  applicable  to  Solo- 
mon, or  to  any  of  tlie  other  descend- 
ants of  David  who  succeeded  him  on 
the  throne,  yet  they  at  last  terminated, 
and  were  designed  to — in  the  Mes- 
siah—  to  whom  pre-eminently  God 
would  be  a  Father.  Comp.  Introduc- 
tion to  Isaiah,  §  7,  iii.  (3),  and  Notes 
on  Isa.  vii.  16. 

6.  And  again.  Marg.  When  he 
bringeth  in  again.  The  proper  con- 
struction of  this  sentence  probably  is, 
'  But  when,  moreover,  he  brings  in,' 
&c.  The  word  '  again'  refers  not  to 
the  fact  that  the  Son  of  God  is  brought 
again  into  the  world,  implying  that 
he  had  been  introduced  before ;  but 
it  refers  to  the  course  of  the  apostle's 
argument,  or  to  the  declaration 
which  is  made  about  the  Messiah  in 
another  place.  '  The  name  Son  is 
not  only  given  to  him  as  above,  but 
also  in  another  place,  or  on  another 
occasion  when  he  brings  in  the  first- 


34 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4. 


the  world,  he  saitli,  And"  let  I  all  the  angels  of  God  worship 
oPs.  97.  7.  hiin. 


begotten  into  the  world.'  ^  When  he 
bringeth  in.  When  lie  introduces. 
So  iiiT  as  the  language  here  is  con- 
cerned tiiis  niig-ht  refer  to  the  birlh 
of  the  Messiah,  but  it  is  evident  from 
the  whole  connexion  that  tlie  writer 
means  to  refer  to  something  that  is 
said  in  the  Old  Testament.  Tliis  is 
plain  because  the  passage  occurs 
among  quotations  designed  to  prove 
a  specific  point — that  the  Son  of  God, 
the  Author  of  the  Christian  system, 
was  superior  to  the  angels.  A  decla- 
ration of  the  writer  here,  however 
true  and  yolemn,  would  not  have  an- 
swered the  purpose.  A  prooj-text 
was  wanting ;  a  text  which  would 
be  admitted  by  those  to  whom  lie 
wrote  to  bear  on  the  point  under 
consideration.  The  meaning  then  is, 
'  that  on  another  occasion  different 
from  those  to  which  he  had  referred, 
God,  when  speaking  of  the  Messiah, 
or  when  introducing  him  to  man- 
kind, had  used  language  showing 
that  he  was  superior  to  the  angels.' 
The  meaning  of  tlie  phrase  "  wiien 
he  bringeth  in,"  therefore,  I  take  to 
be,  when  he  introduces  him  to  men  ; 
when  he  makes  him  known  to  the 
world  —  to  wit,  by  the  declaration 
which  he  proceeds  immediately  to 
quote.  IT  The  ^first-begotten.  Christ 
is  called  the  \first-begotten,''  with  re- 
ference to  his  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  in  Rev.  i.  5,  and  Coll.  i.  18.  It 
is  probable  here,  however,  that  the 
word  is  used,  like  the  word  ^first-born, 
or  Jirst-begot ten  among  the  Hebrews, 
by  way  of  eminence.  As  the  first- 
born was  the  principal  heir,  and  had 
peculiar  privileges,  so  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  sustains  a  similar  rank  in  tlie 
universe  of  which  God  is  the  Head 
and  Father.  See  Notes  on  John  i. 
14,  where  tire  word  '  only-begotten' 
is  used  to  denote  the  dignity  and 
honour  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  IT  Into 
the  world.  When  he  introduces  him 
to  mankind,  or  declares  what  he  is 
to  be.  If  He  saith.  And  let  all  the 
angels  of  God  worship  him.      .Much 


dilliculty  has  been  experienced  in  re 
giird  to  this  quotation,  for  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  it  is  intended  to  be  a 
quotation.  In  tiic  Septuagint  these 
very  words  occur  in  Deut.  xxxii.  43, 
where  they  are  inserted  in  the  Song 
of  Moses.  But  they  are  not  in  the 
Hebrew,  nor  are  they  in  all  the 
copies  of  the  Septuagint.  The  He. 
brew  is,  "  Rejoice,  O  ye  nations  with 
liis  people ;  for  he  will  avenge  the 
blood  of  his  servants,  and  will  render 
vengeance  to  his  adversaries."  The 
Septuagint  is,  "  Rejoice  ye  heavens 
with  him ;  and  let  all  the  angels  of 
God  worship  him.  Let  the  nations 
rejoice  with  his  people,  and  let  all  the 
sons  of  God  be  strong  in  him,  for  he 
has  avenged  the  blood  of  his  sons." 
But  there  are  objections  to  our  sup- 
posing that  the  apostle  had  this  place 
in  his  view,  which  seem  to  me  to 
settle  the  matter.  (1.)  One  is,  that 
the  passage  is  not  in  the  Hebrew; 
and  it  seems  hardly  credible  that  in 
writing  to  Hebrews,  and  to  those  re- 
siding in  the  very  country  where  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures  were  constantly 
used,  he  should  adduce  as  a  prool^ 
te.xt  on  an  important  doctrine  what 
was  not  in  their  Scriptures.  (2.)  A 
second  is,  that  it  is  omitted  in  all  the 
ancient  versions  except  the  Septua- 
gint. (3.)  A  third  is,  that  it  is  im- 
possible  to  believe  that  the  passage 
in  question  in  Deuteronomy  had  any 
reference  to  the  Messiah.  It  does 
not  relate  to  his  '  introduction'  to  the 
world.  It  would  not  occur  to  any 
reader  that  it  had  any  such  reference. 
Tiie  context  celebrates  tlie  victory 
over  the  enemies  of  Israel  which  God 
will  achieve.  After  saying  that  'his 
arrows  would  be  drunk  with  blood, 
and  that  his  sword  would  devour 
flesh  with  the  blood  of  the  slain  and 
of  captives,  from  the  time  when  he 
begins  to  take  vengeance  on  an 
enemy,'  the  Septuagint  (not  the  He- 
brew) immediately  asserts,  "  let  the 
heavens  rejoice  at  the  same  time  with. 
him,  and  let  all  the  angels  of  God 


A.  D.  Gl.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


as 


worship  him."  That  is,  'Let  the 
inhabitants  of  the  heavenly  world 
rejoice  in  the  victory  of  God  over  tlie 
enemies  of  his  people,  and  let  them 
pay  their  adoration  to  him.'  But 
the  Messiah  does  not  appear  to  be 
alluded  to  anywliere  in  the  context ; 
much  less  described  as  '  introduced 
into  the  world.''  There  is,  moreover, 
not  the  slightest  evidence  that  it  was 
ever  supposed  by  the  Jews  to  have 
any  such  reference ;  and  though  it 
might  bo  said  that  the  apostle  merely 
quoted  language  that  expressed  his 
meaning — as  we  often  do  when  we 
are  familiar  with  any  well-known 
phrase  that  will  exactly  suit  our  pur- 
pose and  convey  an  idea  —  yet  it 
should  be  remarked  that  this  is  not 
the  way  in  which  tliis  passage  is 
quoted.  It  is  a  proof-text,  and  Paul 
evidently  meant  to  be  understood  as 
saying  that  that  passage  had  a  fair 
reference  to  the  Messiah.  It  is  evi- 
dent, moreover,  that  it  would  be  ad- 
mitted to  have  such  a  reference  by 
those  to  whom  he  wrote.  It  is  mo- 
rally certain,  therefore,  that  this  was 
710^  the  passage  which  the  writer  in- 
tended to  quote.  The  probability  is, 
that  the  writer  here  referred  to  Psalm 
xcvii.  7,  (in  the  Sept.  Ps.  xcvi.  7). 
In  that  place,  the  Hebrew  is,  "  wor- 
ship him  all  ye  gods"— DTl'lN  -^^— 
all  ye  Elohim.  In  the  Septuagint  it 
is,  "  Let  all  his  angels  worship  him  ;" 
where  the  translation  is  literal,  except 
that  the  word  God — '  angels  of  God' 
— is  used  by  the  apostle  instead  of 
his — '  all  his  angels' — as  it  is  in  the 
Septuagint.  The  word  '  gods' — Elo. 
him — is  rendered  by  the  word  angels 
—but  the  word  may  have  that  sense. 
Thus  it  is  rendered  by  the  Lxx. ;  in 
Job  XX.  15 ;  and  in  Psalm  viii.  6  ; 
cxxxvii.  1.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
word  Elohim  may  denote  kings  and 
magistrates,  because  of  their  rank 
and  dignity;  and  is  there  anything 
improbable  in  the  supposition  that, 
for  a  similar  reason,  the  word  may 
be  given  also  to  angels  ?  The  fair 
interpretation  of  the  passage  then 
'i'ould  be,  to  refer  it  to  angelic  beings 


— and  the  command  in  Ps.  xcvii.  is 
for  them  to  do  homage  to  the  being- 
there  referred  to.  The  only  question 
then  is,  whether  the  Psalm  can  be 
regarded  properly  as  having  any  re- 
ference to  the  Messiah  ?  Did  the 
apostle  fairly  and  properly  use  this 
language  as  referring  to  him  ?  On 
this  we  may  remark,  (1.)  That  the 
fact  that  he  uses  it  thus  may  be  re. 
garded  as  proof  that  it  would  be  ad- 
mitted to  be  proper  by  the  Jews  in 
his  time,  and  renders  it  probable  that 
it  was  in  fact  so  used.  (2.)  Two 
Jewish  Rabbins  of  distinction — Ras- 
chi  and  Kimchi — affirm  that  all  the 
Psalms  from  xciii.  to  ci.  are  to  be  re- 
garded as  referring  to  the  Messiah. 
Such  was,  and  is,  the  opinion  of  the 
Jews.  (3.)  There  is  nothing  in  the 
Psalm  which  forbids  such  a  reference, 
or  which  can  be  shown  to  be  incon- 
sistent with  it.  Indeed  the  whole 
Psalm  might  be  taken  as  beautifully 
descriptive  of  the  ^introduction^  of 
the  Son  of  God  into  the  world,  or  aa 
a  sublime  and  glorious  description 
of  his  advent.  Thus  in  ver.  1,  the 
earth  is  called  on  to  rejoice  tJiiit  the 
Lord  reigns.  In  vs.  2 — 5,  he  is  in- 
troduced or  described  as  coming  in 
the  most  magnificent  manner — clouds 
and  darkness  attend  him  ;  a  fire  goes 
before  him  ;  the  lightnings  play  ;  and 
the  hills  melt  like  wax — a  sublime 
description  of  his  coming,»with  ap- 
propriate symbols,  to  reign,  or  to 
judge  the  world.  In  ver.  6,  it  is  said 
that  all  people  shall  see  his  glory  ;  in 
ver.  7,  that  all  who  worship  graven 
images  shall  be  confounded,  and  all 
the  angels  are  required  to  do  him  ho 
mage  ;  and  in  vs.  8 — 12,  the  effect  of 
his  advent  is  describt^d  as  filling 
Zion  with  rejoicing,  and  tlie  hearts 
of  the  people  of  God  with  gladness. 
It  cannot  be  proved,  therefore,  that 
this  Psalm  had  no  reference  to  the 
Messiah  ;  but  the  presumption  is  that 
it  had,  and  that  the  apostle  has  quoted 
it  not  only  as  it  was  usually  regarded 
in  his  time,  but  as  it  was  designed 
by  the  Holy  Ghost.  If  so,  then  it 
proves,  what  the  writer  intended,  that 
the  Son  of  God  should  be  adored  by 


36 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


7  And'    of   the    angels    he 
saith,"    Who   maketh    his    an- 

1  unto.  a  Ps.  104.  4. 


the  angels ;  and  of  course  that  he 
was  superior  to  them.  It  proves  also 
more.  Whom  would  God  require 
the  angels  to  adore  ?  A  creature  ? 
A  man?  A  fellow-angel?  To  ask 
these  questions  is  to  answer  them. 
He  could  require  them  to  worship 
none  but  God,  and  tlic  passage  proves 
that  the  Son  of  God  is  divine. 

7.  And  of  the  angels  he  saith,  WJio 
maketh  his  angels  spirits.  He  gives 
to  them  an  inferior  name,  and  assigns 
to  them  a  more  humble  oliiee.  Tiiey 
are  mere  ministers,  and  have  not 
ascribed  to  them  the  name  of  Son. 
They  have  a  name  which  implies 
a  more  humble  rank  and  office  — 
the  name  "  spirit,"  and  the  appella- 
tion of  a  "dame  of  fire."  They 
obey  his  will  as  the  winds  and  the 
lightnings  do.  Tlie  object  of  the 
apostle  in  this  passage  is  to  show 
tliat  the  angels  serve  God  in  a  min- 
isterial capacity  —  as  the  winds  do  ; 
while  the  Son  is  Lord  of  all.  The 
one  serves  him  passively,  as  being 
wholly  ujider  his  control ;  the  other 
acts  as  a  Sovereign,  as  Lord  over  all, 
and  is  addressed  and  regarded  as  tlie 
equal  with  God.  Tliis  quotation  is 
made  from  Ps.  civ.  4.  The  passage 
might  be  translated,  '  Who  maketh 
his  angels  winds,  and  his  ministers  a 
flame  of  fire ;'  that  is,  '  who  makes 
his  angels  like  the  winds,  or  as  swift 
as  the  winds,  and  his  ministers  as 
rapid,  as  terrible,  and  as  resistless 
as  the  lightning.'  So  Doddridge 
renders  it ;  and  so  did  the  late  Rev. 
Dr.  J.  P.  Wilson.  MS.  Notes.  The 
passage  in  the  Psalm  is  susceptible, 
I  tliink,  of  another  interpretation, 
and  might  be  regarded  as  meaning, 
'  who  makes  the  winds  his  messen- 
gers, and  the  flaming  fire  iiis  minis- 
ters ;'  and  perhaps  this  is  tlie  sense 
which  would  most  naturally  occur  to 
a  reader  of  the  Hebrew.  The  He- 
brew, however,  will  admit  of  the  con- 
struction here  put  upon  it,  and  it 
cannot   be  p'-'^'-fd   that   it   was   the 


gels  spirits,  and  his  ministers 
a  flame  of  fire. 


original  intention  of  tlie  passage  to 
show  tliat  the  angels  were  the  mere 
servants  of  God,  rapid,  quick,  and 
prompt  to  do  his  will — like  the  winds. 
The  Clialdee  Paraphrase  renders  the 
passage  in  the  Psalm,  'Who  makes 
his  messengers  swift  as  the  wind; 
his  ministers  strong  !:kC  a  flame  of 
fire.'  Prof.  Stuart  niaintains  that 
the  passage  in  the  Fsalins  cannot 
mean  '  who  makes  the  winds  hia 
messengers,'  but  that  the  intention  of 
the  Psalmist  is  to  describe  the  in. 
visible  as  well  as  the  visible  majesty 
of  God,  and  tliat  he  refers  to  the  an- 
gels as  a  part  of  the  retinue  which 
goes  to  make  up  his  glory.  This 
does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  perfectly 
certain  ;  but  still  it  cannot  be  demon- 
strated that  Paul  has  made  an  im- 
proper  use  of  the  passage.  It  is  to 
be  presumed  that  Ae,  who  had  been 
trained  in  the  knowledge  of  the  He- 
brew  language,  would  have  had  a 
better  opportunity  of  knowing  its  fair 
construction  than  we  can ;  and  it  ia 
morally  certain  tliat  he  would  employ 
the  passage  in  an  argument  as  it  waa 
commonly  understood  by  those  to 
whom  he  wrote — that  is,  to  those 
who  were  familiar  with  the  Hebrew 
language  and  literature.  If  he  has  so 
used  the  passage;  if  he  has  —  as  no 
one  can  disprove  —  put  the  fair  con- 
struction on  it,  then  it  is  just  in  point. 
It  pro\'es  tliat  the  angels  are  the 
attendant  servants  of  God  ;  employed 
to  grace  his  train,  to  do  his  will,  to 
accompany  liim  as  the  clouds  and 
winds  and  lightnings  do,  and  to  oc- 
cupy a  subordinate  rank  in  his  crea- 
tion. TT  Flame  of  fire.  TJiis  probably 
refers  to  lightning — which  is  often  tho 
meaning  of  the  plirase.  The  word 
'  ministers'  here,  means  the  same  as 
angi'ls,  and  tlie  sense  of  the  whole  ia, 
that  the  attending  retinue  of  God, 
when  he  manifests  himself  with  great 
power  and  glory,  is  like  tlie  winds 
and  the  liglitning.  Iliij  angels  are 
like  them.     They  are  prompt  to  do 


A  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


37 


8  But  unto  the  Son  he  saith, 


his  will — rapid,  quick,  obedient  in  his 
service ;  tliey  are  in  all  respects  sub- 
ordinate to  him,  and  occupy,  as  the 
winds  and  the  liglitnings  do,  the 
place  of  servants.  They  are  not  ad- 
dressed in  language  like  that  which 
is  applied  to  the  Son  of  God,  and  they 
must  all  be  far  inferior  to  him. 

8.  But  unto  the  Son  he  saith.  In 
Psalm  xlv.  6,  7.  The  fact  that  the 
writer  of  this  epistle  makes  this  ap- 
plication of  the  Psalm  to  the  MessiaJi, 
j)roves  that  it  was  so  applied  in  his 
lime,  or  that  it  would  be  readily  ad- 
mitted to  bo  applicable  to  iiim.  It 
has  been  generally  admitted,  by  botli 
Jewish  and  Christian  interpreters,  to 
liave  such  a  reference.  Even  those 
who  have  doubted  its  primary  appli- 
cability to  the  Messiah,  liave  regarded 
it  as  referring  to  him  in  a  secondary 
eense.  Many  have  supposed  that  it 
referred  to  Solomon  in  the  primary 
sense,  and  tliat  it  has  a  secondary 
reference  to  the  Messiah.  To  me  it 
seems  most  probable  that  it  had  an 
original  and  exclusive  reference  to 
the  Messiah.  It  is  to  be  remembered 
that  the  hope  of  the  Messiah  was  the 
peculiar  hope  of  the  Jewish  people. 
The  coming  of  the  future  king,  so 
early  promised,  was  the  great  event 
to  which  they  all  looked  forward 
with  tlie  deepest  interest.  That  hope 
inspired  their  prophets  and  their 
bards,  and  cheered  the  hearts  of  the 
nation  in  the  time  of  despondency. 
The  Messiah,  if  I  may  so  express  it, 
was  the  hero  of  the  Old  Testament — 
more  so  than  Achilles  is  of  the  Iliad, 
and  iEneas  of  the  ^Eniad.  The 
sacred  poets  were  accustomed  to 
employ  all  their  most  magnificent 
imagery  in  describing  him,  and  to 
present  him  in  every  form  that  was 
'  beautiful  in  their  conception,  and  that 
would  be  gratifying  to  the  pride  and 
hopes  of  the  nation.  Every  thing 
that  is  gorgeous  and  splendid  in  de- 
scription is  lavished  on  him,  and  they 
were  never  under  any  apprehension 
of  attributing  to  him  too  great  mag- 


"  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever 

a  Ps.  45.  6,  7. 

nificence  in  his  personal  reign ;  too 
great  beauty  of  moral  cliaracter ;  or 
too  great  an  extent  of  dominion. 
That  which  would  be  regarded  by 
them  as  a  magnificent  description  of 
a  monarch,  they  freely  applied  to 
him ;  and  this  is  evidently  the  case  in 
this  Psalm.  That  the  description 
may  have  been  in  part  derived  from 
the  view  of  Solomon  in  the  magnifi- 
cence of  his  court,  is  possible,  but  no 
more  probable  than  tliat  it  was  de- 
rived from  the  general  view  of  the 
splendour  of  any  Oriental  monarch, 
or  than  that  it  might  have  been  the 
description  of  a  monarch  which  was 
the  pure  creation  of  inspired  poetry. 
Indeed,  I  see  not  why  this  Psalm 
should  ever  have  been  supposed  to  be 
applicable  to  Solomon.  His  name  is 
not  mentioned.  It  has  no  peculiar 
applicability  to  liim.  There  is  no- 
thing that  would  apply  to  him  which 
would  not  also  apply  to  many  an 
Oriental  prince.  There  are  some 
things  in  it  which  are  much  less  ap- 
plicable  to  him  than  to  many  others. 
The  king  here  described  is  a  conquer- 
or. He  girds  his  sword  on  his  thigh, 
and  his  arrows  are  sharp  in  the  hearts 
of  his  foes,  and  the  people  are  sub- 
dued under  him.  This  was  not  true 
of  Solomon.  His  was  a  reign  of 
peace  and  tranquillity,  nor  was  he 
ever  distinguished  for  war.  On  the 
whole,  it  seems  clear  to  me,  that  tliis 
Psalm  is  designed  to  be  a  beautiful 
poetic  description  of  the  Messiah  aa 
king.  _  The  images  are  drawn  from 
the  usual  characteristics  of  an  Orien- 
tal prince,  and  there  are  many  things 
in  the  poem  —  as  there  are  in  para- 
bles— for  the  sake  of  keeping,  or  veri- 
similitude, and  which  are  not,  in  the 
interpretation,  to  be  cut  to  the  quick. 
The  writer  imagined  to  himself  a 
magnificent  and  beautiful  prince  ; — a 
prince  riding  prosperously  in  his 
conquests  ;  swaying  a  permanent  and 
wide  dominion ;  clothed  in  rich  and 
splendid  vestments ;  eminently  up. 
right  and  pure  ;  and  scattering  blef-:  • 


38 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


and  ever :  a  sceptre  of   right- 

1   rightitess,  or  atraitncs.i. 

ings  everywhere — and  that  prince 
v.'as  the  Mcssiali.  The  Psalm,  there- 
fore, I  regard  ns  rehiting  originally 
and  exclusively  to  Christ ;  and  though 
in  the  interpretation,  the  circumstan- 
ces should  not  be  unduly  pressed,  nor 
an  attempt  be  made  to  spirilualize 
them,  yet  the  whole  is  a  glowing  and 
most  beautiful  description  of  (Christ 
as  a  King.  The  same  principles  of 
iriterprctation  should  be  apjjlicd  to  it 
which  are  applied  to  parables,  and 
the  sanie  allowance  be  made  for  the 
introduction  of  circumstances  for  the 
sake  of  keeping,  or  for  finishing  the 
story.  If  this  be  the  correct  view, 
then  Paul  has  quoted  the  Psalm  in 
conformity  exactly  with  its  original 
intention,  as  he  undoubtedly  quoted 
it  as  it  was  understood  in  Jiis  time. 
H  Thy  throne.  A  throne  is  the  scat 
on  which  a  monarch  sits,  and  is  here 
the  symbol  of  dorninion,  because 
kings  when  acting  as  rulers  sit  on 
thrones.  Thus  a  throne  becomes  tlie 
emblem  of  authority  or  empire.  Here 
it  means,  that  his  rule  or  dominion 
would  be  perpetual  —  '■^for  ever  and 
ever''''  —  which  assuredly  could  not 
be  applied  to  Solomon.  IT  O  God. 
This  certainly  could  not  be  ap- 
plied to  Solomon ;  but  applied  to 
the  Messiah  it  proves  wliat  the 
apostle  is  aiming  to  prove  —  that  he 
is  above  the  angels.  The  argument 
is,  that  a  name  is  given  to  him  which 
is  never  given  to  them.  They  are  not 
called  God  in  any  strict  and  proper 
sense.  The  argument  here  requires 
us  to  understand  this  word  as,  used  in 
a  sense  more  exalted  than  any  name 
which  is  ever  given  to  angels,  and 
though  it  may  be  maintained  that  the 
name  DTl/X,    Elohim,    is    given    to 

magistrates  or  to  angels,  yet  here  the 
argument  requires  us  to  understand 
it  as  used  in  a  sense  superior  to  wliat 
it  ever  is  when  applied  to  an  angel — 
or  of  course  to  any  creature,  since  it 
was  the  express  design  of  the  argu- 
ment to  prove  that  tlie  Messiah  was 


eousness '  is  the  sceptre  of  thy 
kingdom : 

superior  to  the  angels.  The  word 
God  slioald  be  taken  in  its  natural  and 
obvious  sense,  unless  there  is  some 
necessary  reason  for  limiting  it.  If 
applied  to  magistrates  (Ps.  Ixxxii.  G), 
it  must  be  so  limited.  If  applied  to 
the  Messiah,  there  is  no  such  neces- 
sity, (John  i.  1 ;  Isa.  ix.  6 ;  I.  John  v. 
20  ;  Phil.  ii.  6),  and  it  should  be  taken 
in  its  natural  and  proper  sense.  The 
form  here  —  A  Otis — is  in  the  vocative 
case  and  not  the  nominative.  It  is 
the  usual  form  of  the  vocative  in  the 
Septuagint,  and  nearly  the  only  form 
of  it.  Stuart.  This  then  is  a  direct 
address  to  the  Messiah,  calling  him 
God  ;  and  I  see  not  why  it  is  not  to 
be  used  in  the  usual  and  proper  sense 
of  the  word.  Unitarians  proposed  to 
translate  this,  "  God  is  thy  throne ;" 
but  how  can  God  be  a  throne  of  a 
creature  ?  What  is  the  meaning  of 
such  an  expression  ?  Where  is  there 
one  parallel  ?  And  what  must  be 
the  nature  of  that  cause  which  ren- 
ders such  an  argument  necessary  ?^ 
Tliis  refers,  as  it  seems  to  me,  to  the 
Messiah  as  king.  It  does  not  relate 
to  his  mode  of  existence  before  the  in- 
carnation, but  to  him  as  the  magnifi- 
cent  monarch  of  his  people.  Still, 
the  ground  or  reason  why  this  name 
is  given  to  him  is  that  he  is  divine. 
It  is  language  which  properly  ex- 
presses his  nature.  He  must  have  a 
divine  nature,  or  such  language 
would  be  improper.  I  regard  this 
passage,  therefore,  as  full  proof  that 
the  Lord  Jesus  is  divine ;  nor  is  it 
possible  to  evade  this  conclusion  by 
any  fair  interpretation  of  it.  It 
cannot  be  wrong  to  address  him  as 
God ;  nor  addressing  him  as  such, 
not  to  regard  him  as  divine.  If  Is /or 
ever  and  ever.  This  could  not  in 
any  proper  sense  apply  to  Solo- 
mon.  As  applied  to  the  Messiah,  it 
means  that  his  essential  kingdom 
will  be  f>crpetual.  Luke  i.  33.  As 
Mediator  his  kingdom  will  be  given 
up  to  the  Father,  or  to  God  without 
reference  to  a  ^Mediatorial  work,  (I, 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


39 


9  Thou  hast  loved  righteous-   ness,  and  hated  iniquity  ;  there- 


Cor.  XV.  24.  28  —  see  Notes  on  these 
verses),  but  his  reign  over  his  people 
will  be  perpetual.  There  never  will 
come  a  time  when  they  shall  not 
obey  and  serve  him,  though  the  pe- 
culiar form  of  his  kingdom,  as  con- 
nected with  the  work  of  mediation, 
will  be  changed.  The  form  of  the 
organized  churcli,  for  example,  will 
be  cJianged,  for  there  shall  be  no  ne- 
cessity for  it  in  heaven,  but  the  essen- 
tial dominion  and  power  of  the  Son  of 
God  will  not  cease.  He  shall  have  the 
same  dominion  which  he  had  before 
he  entered  on  the  work  of  mediation ; 
and  that  will  be  eternal.  It  is  also 
true  that,  compared  with  earthly 
monarchs,  his  kingdom  shall  be  per- 
petual. They  soon  die.  Dynasties 
pass  away.  But  his  empire  extends 
from  age  to  age,  and  is  properly  a 
perpetual  dominion.  The  fair  and 
obvious  interpretation  of  this  pas- 
sage would  satisfy  me,  were  there 
nothing  else,  that  this  Psalm  had 
no  reference  to  Solomon,  but  was 
designed  originally  as  a  description 
of  the  Messiah  as  the  expected  King 
and  Prince  of  his  people.  IF  A 
sceptre  of  right eovsness.  That  is,  a 
right  or  just  sceptre.  The  phrase 
is  a  Hebraism.  The  former  expres- 
sion described  the  perpetuity  of  his 
kingdom ;  this  describes  its  equable 
nature.  It  would  be  just  and  equal. 
See  Notes  on  Isa.  xi.  5.  A  sceptre  is 
a  staff  or  wand  usually  made  of  wood, 
five  or  six  feet  long,  and  commonly 
overlaid  with  gold,  or  ornamented 
with  golden  rings.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, the  sceptre  was  made  of  ivory, 
or  wholly  of  gold.  It  was  borne  in 
the  hands  of  kings  as  an  emblem  of 
authority  and  power.  Probably  it 
had  its  origin  in  the  staff  or  crook  of 
the  shepherd  —  as  kings  were  at  first 
^  regarded  as  the  shepherds  of  their 
people.  Thus  Agamemnon  is  com- 
monly called  by  Homer  the  shepherd 
of  the  people.  The  sceptre  thus  be- 
comes the  emblem  of  kingly  office 
and  power  —  as  when  we  speak  of 
swaying   a   sceptre;  —  and  the  ide!> 


here  is,  that  the  Messiah  would  be  a 
king,  and  that  the  authority  which 
he  would  wield  would  be  equitable 
and  just.  He  would  not  be  governed 
as  monarchs  often  are,  by  mere  ca- 
price,  or  by  the  wishes  of  courtiers 
and  flatterers  ;  he  would  not  be  con 
trolled  by  mere  will  and  the  love  of 
arbitrary  power;  but  the  execution 
of  his  laws  would  be  in  accordance 
with  the  principles  of  equity  and 
justice. — How  well  this  accords  with 
the  character  of  the  Lord  Jesus  we 
need  not  pause  to  show.  Comp. 
Notes  on  Isa.  xi.  2 — 5. 

9.  Thou  hast  loved  righteousness. 
Thou  hast  been  obedient  to  the  law 
of  God,  or  holy  and  upright.  Nothing 
can  be  more  truly  adapted  to  express 
the  character  of  any  one  than  this  is 
to  describe  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  was 
"holy,  harmless,  undefiled,"  who 
'  did  no  sin,  and  in  whose  mouth  no 
guile  was  found  ;'  but  it  is  with  diffi 
culty  that  this  can  be  applied  to  So- 
lomon. Assuredly,  for  a  considerable 
part  of  his  life,  this  declaration  could 
not  well  be  appropriate  to  him  ;  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  not  to  be  re- 
garded as  descriptive  of  him  at  all. 
It  is  language  prompted  by  the  warm 
and  pious  imagination  of  the  Psalm- 
ist describing  the  future  Messiah — 
and,  as  applied  to  him,  is  true  to  the 
letter.  ^  Therefore  God,  even  thy 
God.  The  word  even  inserted  here 
by  the  translators,  weakens  the  force 
of  the  expression.  This  might  be 
translated,  '  O  God,  thy  God  hath 
anointed  thee.'  So  it  is  rendered  by 
Doddridge,  Clarke,  Stuart,  and  others. 
The  Greek  will  bear  this  construc- 
tion, as  well  the  Hebrew  in  Ps.  xlv. 
7.  In  the  margin  in  the  Psalm  it  is 
rendered  "  O  God."  This  is  the  most 
natural  construction,  as  it  accords 
with  what  is  just  said  before.  '  Thy 
throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever.  Thou  art 
just  and  holy,  therefore,  O  God,  thy 
God  hath  anointed  thee,'  &c.  It  is 
not  material,  however,  which  con- 
struction is  adopted.  IT  Hath  anointed 
thee.      Anciently   kings   and    pr'p.sts 


40 


HEBREWS. 


TA.  D.  64, 


fore  God,  even  thy  God,  hath 
anointed  tliee  witii  the  oil  of 
gladness  above  thy  fellows. 

wtrc  consecrated  to  tlieir  ottice  by 
pouring  oil  on  tlieir  heads.  See  Lev. 
viii.  1:2;  Num.  iii.  3;  I.  8am.  x.  1  ; 
II.  Sam.  ii.  7  ;  Ps.  ii.  6 ;  Isa.  Ixi.  1  ; 
Acts  iv.  -21 ;  x.  38;  Note  Matt.  i.  1. 
The  expression  '  to  anoint,^  therefore, 
comes  to  mean  to  consecrate  to  of- 
fice, or  to  set  apart  to  some  public 
work.  This  is  evidently  the  meaning 
in  the  Psalm,  where  the  whole  lan- 
guage refers  to  t)ic  ai)pointinent  of 
the  personage  there  relerred  to  to  the 
kingly  office.  ^  The  oil  of  gladness. 
This  probably  means  the  perfumed 
oil  tiiat  was  poured  on  the  head,  at- 
tended with  many  expressions  ofjoy 
and  rejoicing.  The  inauguration  of 
the  Messiah  as  king  would  be  an  oc- 
casion of  rejoicing  and  triumph. 
Thousands  would  exult  at  it — as  in 
the  coronation  of  a  king ;  and  tliou- 
sands  would  be  made  glad  by  such  a 
consecration  to  the  office  of  Messiah. 
f  Above  thy  fellows.  Above  thine 
associates  ;  that  is,  above  all  who  sus- 
tain the  kingly  office.  He  would  be 
more  exalted  than  all  other  king-s. 
Doddridge  supposes  that  it  refers  to 
angels,  who  might  have  been  asso- 
ciated with  tiie  Messiah  in  the  go- 
vernment of  the  world.  But  the  more 
natural  construction  is,  to  suppose 
that  it  refers  to  kings,  and  to  mean 
that  he  was  the  most  exalted  of  all. 

10.  And.  That  is, '  To  add  another 
instance  ;'  or,  '  to  the  Son  he  saitli  in 
another  place,  or  in  the  following 
language.'  This  is  connected  with 
ver.  8.  '  Unto  the  Son  lie  saitJi  (ver. 
8),  thy  throne,  &e. — and  (ver.  10)  he 
also  saith.  Thou  Lord,'  &-c.  That 
this  is  the  meaning  is  apparent,  be- 
cause (1)  the  object  of  the  whole  (juo- 
tation  is  to  show  tiie  exalted  charac- 
ter of  the  Son  of  God,  and  (2)  an 
address  here  to  Jehovah  would  be 
wholly  irrelevant.  Why,  in  an  ar- 
gument designed  to  prove  that  the 
Son  of  God  was  superior  to  tlie  an- 
gels, should  the  writer  break  out  in 
an  address  to  Jehovah  in  view  of  the 


10  And,  "  Thou,  Lord,  in  the 
beginning  hast  laid  the  founda- 

a  Pa.  JO-2.  25. 


fact  that  he  had  laid  the  foundationa 
of  the  world,  and  that  he  himself 
would  continue  to  live  when  the  hea- 
vens  should  be  rolled  up  and  pass 
away  ?  Such  is  not  the  manner  of 
Paul  or  of  any  other  good  writer, 
and  it  is  clear  that  the  writer  here 
designed  to  adduce  this  as  applicable 
to  the  Messiah.  Wliatever  difficulties 
there  may  be  about  the  principles  on 
which  it  is  done,  and  the  reason  why 
this  passage  was  selected  for  the  pur- 
pose, there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the 
design  of  the  writer.  He  meant  to 
be  understood  as  applying  it  to  the 
Messiah  beyond  all  question,  or  the 
quotation  is  wholly  irrelevant,  and- it 
is  inconceivable  why  it  should  have 
been  made.  H  Thou  Lord.  This  is 
taken  from  Ps.  cii.  25—27.  The 
quotation  is  made  from  the  Scptua- 
gint  with  only  a  slight  variation,  and 
is  an  accurate  translation  of  the  He- 
brew. In  the  Psalm,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  Jehovah  is  intended. 
Tliis  is  apparent  on  the  face  of  the 
Psalm,  and  particularly  because  the 
name  Jehovah  is  introduced  in  vs.  1. 
12,  and  because  he  is  addressed  as 
the  Creator  of  all  things,  and  as  im- 
mutable. No  one,  on  reading  the 
Psalm,  ever  would  doubt  that  it  re- 
ferred to  God,  and  if  the  apostle 
meant  to  apply  it  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
it  proves  most  conclusively  that  he 
is  divine.  In  regard  to  the  difficult 
inquiry  whij  he  applied  this  to  the 
Messiah,  or  on  wliat  principle  such 
an  application  can  be  vindicated,  we 
may  perhaps  throw  some  light  by  the 
following  remarlcs.  It  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  probably  few  persons,  if 
any,  on  reading  the  Psalm,  would 
suppose  that  it  referred  to  the  Mes- 
siah ;  but  (1.)  the  facttiiat  the  apostle 
thus  employs  it,  proves  that  it  was 
understood  in  his  time  to  have  such 
a  reference,  or  at  least  that  those  to 
whom  he  wrote  would  admit  that  it 
had  such  a  reference.  On  no  otliQr 
principle  would  he  have  used  it  in  an 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


41 


tion  of  the  earth  ;  and  the  hea- 


argument.  Tliis  is  at  least  of  some 
consequence  in  showing  what  the 
prevailing  interpretation  was.  (2.)  It 
cannot  be  demonstrated  that  it  had 
no  such  reference — for  such  was  tlie 
habit  of  tlie  sacred  writers  in  making 
the  future  Messiah  the  theme  of  their 
poetry,  that  no  one  can  prove  that  tiie 
writer  of  this  Psalm  did  not  design 
that  the  Messiah  should  be  the  sub- 
ject of  his  praise  here.  (3.)  There 
is  nothing  in  the  Psalm  which  7nay 
not  be  applied  to  the  Messiah ;  but 
there  is  much  in  it  that  is  peculiarly 
applicable  to  him.  Suppose,  for  ex- 
ample, that  the  Psalmist  (vs.  1 — 11), 
in  Lis  complaints,  represents  the 
people  of  God  before  the  Redeemer 
appeared  —  as  lowly,  sad,  dejected, 
and  afflicted — speaking  of  himself  as 
one  of  them,  and  as  a.  fair  representa- 
tive of  that  people,  the  remainder  of 
the  Psalm  will  well  agree  with  the 
promised  redemption.  Thus  having 
described  the  sadness  and  sorrow  of 
the  people  of  God,  he  speaks  of  the 
fact  that  God  w'ould  arise  and  have 
mercy  upon  Zion  (vs.  13,  14),  that 
the  heathen  would  fear  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  and  all  the  kings  of  the 
earth  would  see  his  glory  (ver.  15), 
and  that  when  the  Lord  should  build 
up  Zion  he  would  appear  in  his  glory. 
Ver.  16.  To  whom  else  could  this 
be  so  well  applied  as  to  the  Messiah  ? 
To  what  time  so  well  as  to  his  time  ? 
Thus  too  in  ver.  20,  it  is  said  that  the 
Lord  would  look  down  from  heaven 
"  to  hear  the  groaning  of  the  prisoner, 
and  to  loose  tliem  that  are  appointed 
to  death" — language  remarkably  re- 
sembling that  used  by  Isa.  ch.  xli. 
1,  which  the  Saviour  applies  to  him- 
self, in  Luke  iv.  17—21.  The  pas- 
sage then  quoted  by  the  apostle  (vs. 
i  25 — 27  of  the  Psalm)  is  designed  to 
denote  the  immulability  of  tlie  Mes- 
siah, and  the  fact  that  in  him  all' the 
interests  of  the  church  were  safe. 
He  would  not  change.  He  had  formed 
all  things,  and  he  would  remain  the 
same.  His  kingdom  would  be  per- 
4* 


vens  are  the  worka  of  thine 
hands ; 

manent  amidst  all  the  changes  oc 
curring  on  earth,  and  his  people  had 
no  cause  of  appreiiension  or  alarm. 
Ver.  28.  (4.)  Pciul  applies  this  Ian- 
guage  to  the  Messiali  in  accordance 
with  the  doctrine  which  he  had 
stated  (ver.  2),  thiit  it  was  by  him 
that  God  "  made  the  worlds."  Having 
stated  that,  he  seems  to  have  felt  tliat 
it  was  not  improper  to  apply  to  him 
the  passages  occurring  in  the  Old 
Testament  that  speak  of  the  work 
of  creation.  The  argument  is  this. 
'  He  was  in  fact  the  creator  of  all 
things,.  But  to  the  Creator  there  is 
applied  language  in  the  Scriptures 
wliich  shows  that  he  was  far  exalted 
above  the  angels.  He  would  remaia 
the  same,  while  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  should  fade  away.  His  yeara 
are  enduring  and  eternal.  Such,  a 
being  must  be  superior  to  the  angels ; 
such  a  being  must  be  divine.'  The 
words  "Thou  Lord"  —  aii  Kvpie  —  are 
not  in  the  Hebrew  of  the  Psalm, 
though  they  are  in  the  Septuagint. 
In  the  Hebrew,  in  the  Psalm  (ver. 
24),  it  is  an  address  to  God — "  I  said, 
O  my  God — '7X — but  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  Psalmist  meant  to 
address  Jehovah,  and  that  the  word 
God  is  used  in  its  proper  sense,  de- 
noting divinity.  See  vs.  1.  12,  of  the 
Psalm.  IT  In  the  beginning.  See 
Gen.  i.  1.  When  the  world  was  made. 
Comp.  Notes  on  John  i.  1,  where  the 
same  phrase  is  applied  to  the  Messiah 
— "  In  the  beginning  was  the  word  " 
IT  flast  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth. 
Hast  made  the  earth.  TJiis  language 
is  such  as  is  common  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, where  the  earth  is  represented 
as  laid  on  a  foundation,  or  as  sup- 
ported. It  is  figurative  language, 
derived  from  the  act  of  rearing  an 
edifice.  The  meaning  here  is,  that 
the  Son  of  God  was  the  original  cre- 
ator or  founder  of  the  universe.  He 
did  not  merely  arrange  it  out  of  pre- 
existing materials,  but  he  was  pro- 
perly its  creator  or  founder,     T  And 


42 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


11  They  shall  perish,  but  thou 
remainest :  and  they  all  shall 
wax  old  as  doth  a  garment  ; 

12  And  as   a    vesture   shalt 

the  heavens  are  the  works  of  thine  hands. 
This  must  donionstrate  the  Lord  Je- 
sus to  bedivinc.  lie  that  made  the  vast 
heavens  must  be  God.  No  creature 
could  perform  a  work  like  that ;  nor 
can  we  conceive  that  power  to  create 
tlie  vast  array  of  distant  worlds  could 
possibly  be  delegated.  If  tljat  power 
could  be  delegated,  there  is  not  an 
attribute  of  Deity  which  may  not  be, 
and  thus  all  our  notions  of  what  con- 
stitutes divinity  would  be  utterly  con- 
founded. The  word  "  heavens"  Jicrc 
must  mean  all  parts  of  the  universe 
except  the  earth.  See  Gen.  i.  1.  The 
word  hands  is  used  because  it  is  by 
the  hands  that  we  usually  perform 
any  work. 

II.  They  shall  perish.  That  is, 
the  heavens  and  the  earth.  They 
shall  pass  away ;  or  they  shall  be  de- 
stroyed. Probably  no  more  is  meant 
by  the  phrase  here,  than  that  impor- 
tant changes  will  take  place  in 
them,  or  than  that  they  will  change 
their  form.  Still,  it  is  not  possible  to 
foresee  what  changes  may  yet  take 
place  in  the  heavenly  bodies,  or  to 
say  that  the  present  universe  may 
not  at  some  period  be  destroyed,  and 
be  succeeded  by  another  creation  still 
more  magnificent.  lie  that  created 
the  universe  by  a  word  can  destroy  it 
by  a  word ;  and  he  that  formed  the 
present  frame  of  nature  can  cause  it 
to  be  succeeded  by  another  not  less 
wonderful  and  glorious.  The  Scrip- 
tures seem  to  hold  out  the  idea  that 
the  present  frame  of  the  universe 
shall  be  destroyed.  See  II.  Pet.  iii. 
10—13;  Matt.  xxiv.  35.  'S  But  thou 
remainest.  Thou  shalt  not  die  or  be 
destroyed.  What  a  sublime  thought! 
The  idea  is,  that  though  the  heavens 
and  earth  sliould  suddenly  disa|)pear, 
or  though  they  should  gradually  wear 
cut  and  become  extinct,  yet  there  is 
one  infinite  being  who  remains  un- 
affected,  and  unchanged.      Nothing 


thou  fold  them  up,  and  they 
shall  be  changed  :  but  thou 'art 
the  same,  and  thy  years  shall 
not  fail. 


can  reach  or  disturb  him.  All  these 
changes  shall  take  place  under  his 
direction  and  by  his  command.  See 
Rev.  XX.  11.  Let  us  not  be  alarmed 
then  at  any  revolution.  Let  us  not 
fear  though  we  should  see  the  heavens 
rolled  up  as  a  scroll,  and  the  stars 
falling  from  their  places.  God  the 
Creator  and  Redeemer  presides  over 
all.  He  is  unchanged.  He  ever 
lives  ;  and  though  the  universe  should 
pass  away,  it  will  be  only  at  his  bid- 
ding, and  under  his  direction.  ^  Jlnd 
they  all  shall  wax  old.  Shall  grow  or 
become  old.  The  word  wax  is  an  old 
Saxon  word  meaning  to  grow,  or  in- 
crease, or  become.  The  heavens  here 
arc  compared  with  a  garment,  mean- 
ing that  as  that  grows  old  and  de- 
cays,  so  it  will  be  with  the  heavens, 
and  the  earth.  The  language  is 
evidently  figurative ;  and  yet  who 
can  tell  how  much  literal  truth  there 
may  be  couched  under  it  ?  Is  it  ab- 
surd to  suppose  that  that  sun  which 
daily  sends  forth  so  many  countless 
millions  of  beams  of  light  over  the 
universe,  may.  in  a  course  of  ages 
become  diminished  in  its  splendour, 
and  shine  with  feeble  lustre  ?  Can 
there  be  constant  exhaustion,  a  con- 
stant burning  like  that,  and  yet  no 
tendency  to  decay  at  some  far  dis- 
tant period  ?  Not  unless  the  material 
for  its  sj)lendour  shall  be  supplied  from 
the  boundless  resources  of  the  Great 
Source  of  Light  —  God;  —  and  when 
he  shall  choose  to  withhold  it,  even 
that  glorious  sun  must  be  dimmed  of 
its  splendour  and  shine  with  enfeebled 
beams. 

12.  And  as  a  vesture.  A  garment; 
—  literally  somethinir  thrown  around 
— ncptii6\aiov  —  and  denoting  properly 
the  outer  garnunf,  the  cloak  cr  man- 
tic.  See  Notes  .Matt.  v.  40.  If  Shalt 
thou  fold  them  up.  That  is,  the  hea- 
vens. They  are  rcprcs.-nted  in  th« 
Scriptures   as  an  expanse,  or  some- 


K.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


43 


13  But  to  which  of  the  an- 
gels said  he  at  any  time,"  Sit 
on  my  right  hand,  until  I  make 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool? 

a  Ps.  110.  1.         b  Ps.  103.  21 ;  Da.  7.  10. 

thing  spread  out  (Heb.  in  Gen.  i,  7) ; 
as  a  curtain,  or  tent  (Isa.  xl.  22),  and 
as  a  scroll  that  might  be  spread  out 
or  rolled  up  like  a  book  or  volume. 
Isa.  xxxiv.  4;  Rev.  vi.  14.  Here  they 
are  represented  as  a  garment  or 
mantle  that  might  be  folded  up  — 
language  borrowed  from  folding  up 
and  laying  aside  garments  that  are 
no  longer  fit  for  use.  ^  And  they 
shall  be  changed.  That  is,  they  shall 
be  exchanged  for  others,  or  they  shall 
give  place  to  the  new  heavens  and 
the  new  earth.  II.  Peter,  iii.  13. 
The  meaning  is,  that  the  present  form 
of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  is  not  to 
be  permanent,  but  is  to  be  succeeded 
by  others,  or  to  pass  away,  but  that 
the  Creator  is  to  remain  the  same. 
TT  3V(0M  art  the  same.  Thou  wilt  not 
change.  H  And  thy  years  shall  not 
fail.  Thou  wilt  exist  for  ever  un- 
changed. What  could  more  clearly 
prove  that  he  of  whom  this  is  spoken 
is  immutable  ?  Yet  it  is  indubitably 
spoken  of  the  Messiah,  and  must  de- 
monstrate that  he  is  divine.  These 
attributes  cannot  be  conferred  on  a 
creature ;  and  nothing  can  be  clearer 
than  that  he  who  penned  the  epistle 
believed  that  the  Son  of  God  was  di- 
vine. 

13.  But  to  which  of  the  angels. 
The  apostle  adduces  one  other  proof 
of  the  exaltation  of  the  Son  of  God 
above  the  angels.  He  asks  where 
there  is  an  instance  in  which  God 
had  addressed  any  one  of  the  angels, 
and  asked  him  to  sit  at  his  right 
hand  until  he  should  subdue  his  ene- 
^  mies  under  him  ?  Yet  that  high 
honour  had  been  conferred  on  the  Son 
of  God ;  and  he  was  therefore  far  ex- 
ilted  above  them.  ^  Sit  on  my  right 
hand.  See  Notes  on  ver.  3.  This 
passage  is  taken  from  Ps.  ex.  1,  —  a 
Psalm  that  is  repeatedly  quoted  in 
this  epistle  as  referring  to  the  Mes- 


14  Are  they  not  all  minis- 
tering* spirits,  sent  forth"  to 
minister  for  them  who  shall  be 
heirs  "^  of  salvation  1 


c  Ge.  19.15,  16;  Ps.  34.7. 


d  Ro.  8.  17. 


siah,  and  the  very  passage  before  is 
applied  by  the  Saviour  to  himself,  in 
Matt.  xxii.  43,  44,  and  by  Peter  it  is 
applied  to  him  in  Acts  ii.  34,  35. 
There  can  be  no  doubt,  therefore,  of 
its  applicability  to  the  Messiah, 
IT  Until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy 
footstool.  Until  I  reduce  them  to  en- 
tire subjection.  A  footstool  is  what 
is  placed  under  the  feet  when  we  sit 
on  a  chair,  and  the  phrase  here 
means  that  an  enemy  is  entirely  sub- 
dued.  Comp.  Notes  on  I.  Cor.  xv.  25 
The  phrase  to  make  an  enemy  a  foot- 
stool, is  borrowed  from  the  custom  of 
ancient  warriors  who  stood  on  the 
necks  of  vanquished  kings  on  the  oc- 
casion of  celebrating  a  triumph  over 
them  as  a  token  of  their  complete 
prostration  and  subjection.  See  Notes 
on  Isa.  X.  6. — The  enemies  here  re- 
ferred to  are  the  foes  of  God  and  of 
his  religion,  and  the  meaning  is,  that 
the  Messiah  is  to  be  exalted  until  all 
those  foes  are  subdued.  Then  he 
will  give  up  the  kingdom  to  the 
Father.  See  Notes  on  I.  Cor.  xv,  24 
—  28.  The  exaltation  of  the  Re- 
deemer, to  which  the  apostle  refers 
here,  is  to  the  mediatorial  throne.  In 
this  he  is  exalted  far  above  the  an- 
gels, Plis  foes  are  to  be  subdued  to 
him,  but  angels  are  to  be  employed 
as  mere  instruments  in  that  great 
work, 

14.  Are  they  not  all.  There  is  not 
one  of  them  that  is  elevated  to  the 
high  rank  of  the  Redeemer.  Even 
the  most  exalted  angel  is  employed  in 
the  comparatively  humble  office  of  a 
ministering   spirit   appointed   to  aid 

the  heirs  of  salvation.     IT  Ministering 

.  .  *       •    •        •  ...        * 

spirits.     A  ministering  spirit  is  one 

that  is  employed  to  execute  the  will 

of  God.     The  proper  meaning  of  the 

word  here — Xtiroupyik-n — (wlience  our 

word  liturgy)  is,  pertaining  to  public 

service,  or   the   service  of  the  people 


44 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


(\a6i) ;  and  is  applied  particularly  to 
those  who  were  engragcd  in  tlie  pub- 
lic service  of  the  temple.  Tliey  were 
those  who  rendered  aid  to  others ; 
wlio  were  helpers,  or  servants.  Sueh 
is  the  meaning  as  used  here.  They 
are  employed  to  render  aid  or  assist- 
ance to  others  —  to  wit,  to  christians. 
H  Sent  forth.  Apjjointed  by  God  for 
this,  i'hey  arc  sent ;  are  under  his 
control ;  are  in  a  subordinate  capa- 
city. Thus  Gabriel  was  sent  fortli 
to  convey  an  important  message  to 
Daniel.  Dan.  ix.  21—23.  IT  To 
niinisler.  For  the  aid,  or  succour  of 
such.  They  come  to  render  them 
assistance  —  and,  if  employed  in  tliis 
humble  office,  how  much  inferior  to 
the  dignity  of  the  Son  of  God — the 
Creator  and  Ruler  of  the  worlds ! 
IT  Wlio  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation.  To 
the  saints ;  to  christians.  They  are 
called  ^  heirs  of  salvation'  because 
they  are  adopted  into  the  family  of 
God,  and  are  treated  as  his  sons. 
See  Notes  on  Rom.  viii.  14 — 17.  The 
main  point  here  is,  that  the  angels 
are  employed  in  a  much  more  hum- 
ble capacity  than  the  Son  of  God ; 
and,  therefore,  tliat  he  sustains  a  far 
more  elevated  rank.  But  while  the 
apostle  has  proved  that,  he  has  inci- 
dentally stated  an  exceedingly  in- 
teresting and  important  doctrine,  that 
the  angels  are  employed  to  further 
the  salvation  of  the  people  of  God, 
and  to  aid  them  in  their  journey  to 
heaven.  —  In  this  doctrine  there  is 
nothing  absurd.  It  is  no  more  im- 
probable that  angels  should  be  cm- 
ployed  to  aid  man,  than  that  one  man 
should  aid  another;  certainly  not  as 
imfirobable  as  that  the  Son  of  God 
should  come  down  "  not  to  be  minis- 
tered unto  but  to  minister,"  (Matt. 
XX.  28),  and  that  he  performed  on 
eartli  the  office  of  a  servant.  John 
xiii.  1  —  1.').  Indeed  it  is  a  great 
principle  of  the  divine  administration 
that  one  class  of  God's  creatures  are 
to  minister  to  others ;  that  one  is  to 
aid  another — to  assist  him  in  trouble, 
to  jjrovide  for  liim  when  poor,  and  to 
counsel  iiim  in  perplexity.  We 
are  constantly  deriving  benefit  from 


others,  and  are  dependent  on  their 
counsel  and  help.  Tims  God  has 
appointed  parents  to  aid  their  chil- 
dren; neighbours  to  aid  their  neigh- 
bours ;  the  ricli  to  aid  the  poor ; 
and  all  over  the  world  the  prin- 
ciple is  seen,  that  one  is  to  de- 
rive  benefit  from  the  aid  of  others. 
Why  m.iy  not  the  angels  be  employed 
in  this  service  ?  Tliey  are  pure,  be- 
nevolent, powerful ;  and  as  man  was 
ruined  in  the  fall  by  the  temptation 
ofTered  by  one  of  an  angelic,  though 
fallen  nature,  why  should  not  others 
of  angelic,  unfallen  liolincss  come  to 
assist  in  repairing  the  evils  which 
their  fallen,  guilty  brethren  have  in. 
flicted  on  the  race  ?  To  me  there 
seems  to  be  a  beautiful  propriety  in 
bringing  aid  from  another  race,  as 
ruin  came  from  anotlier  race ;  and 
that  as  those  endowed  with  angelic 
might,  though  witli  fiendish  malig- 
nity, ruined  man,  those  with  angelic 
might,  but  heavenly  benevolence, 
should  aid  in  his  recovery  and  salva- 
tion. Farther,  it  is,  from  the  neces- 
sity of  the  case,  a  great  principle, 
that  the  weak  shall  be  aided  by  the 
strong ;  the  ignorant  by  the  enlight- 
ened ;  the  impure  by  tlie  pure ;  the 
tempted  by  those  who  have  not  fallen 
by  temptation.  All  over  the  world 
we  sec  this  in  operation ;  and  it  con- 
stitutes the  beauty  of  the  moral  ar- 
rangements  on  the  earth  ;  and  why 
shall  not  this  be  extended  to  the  in- 
habitants of  other  abodes  ?  Wiiy 
shall  not  angels,  with  their  superior 
intelligence,  benevolence,  and  power, 
come  in  to  perfect  this  system,  and 
show  how  mucli  adapted  it  is  to  glo- 
rity  God  ? — In  regard  to  the  ways  in 
wliich  angels  become  ministering 
spirits  to  the  heirs  of  salvation,  the 
Scriptures  have  not  liilly  informed 
us,  but  facts  are  mentioned  which 
will  furnish  some  light  on  this  in- 
quiry.  What  they  do  now  may  be 
learned  from  the  Scripture  account 
of  what  they  have  done — as  it  seems 
to  be  a  fair  principle  of  interpretation 
that  they  are  engaged  in  substantially 
the  same  employment  in  whicii  thej' 
have  ever  been.     The  following  rat 


D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


45 


thuus  of  angelic  interposition  in  be- 
half of  man  are  noted  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. (1.)  They  feel  a  deep  interest 
in  man.  Thus  the  Saviour  says, 
"  there  is  joy  in  heaven  among  the 
angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth."  Luke  xv.  10,  Thus  also 
he  says,  when  speaking  of  the  "  little 
ones"  that  compose  his  church,  "  in 
heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold 
the  face  of  my  Fatlier  who  is  in  hea- 
ven." Matt.xviii.  10.  (2.)  They  feel 
a  special  interest  in  all  that  relates 
to  the  redemption  of  man.  Thus 
Peter  says  of  the  things  pertaining 
to  redemption,  "  which  things  the 
angels  desire  to  look  into."  I.  Pet. 
i.  12.  In  accordance  with  this  tliey 
are  represented  as  praising  God  over 
the  fields  of  Bethlehem,  where  the 
sheplierds  were  to  whom  it  was  an- 
nounced that  a  Saviour  was  born 
(Luke  ii.  13);  an  angel  announced 
to  Mary  that  she  would  be  the  mother 
of  the  Messiah  (Luke  i.  26) ;  an  angel 
declared  to  the  shepherds  that  he 
was  born  (Luke  ii.  10) ;  the  angels 
came  and  ministered  to  him  in  his 
temptation  (Matt.  iv.  11);  an  angel 
strengthened  him  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane  (Luke  xxii.  4.3) ;  angels 
were  present  in  the  sepulchre  where 
the  Lord  Jesus  had  been  laid,  to  an- 
nounce his  resurrection  to  his  disci- 
ples (John  XX.  12) ;  and  they  re-ap- 
peared to  his  disciples  on  Mount  Oli- 
vet to  assure  them  that  he  would  return 
and  receive  his  people  to  himself  Acts 
i.  10.  (3.)  They  a  pear  for  the  de- 
fence and  protection  of  the  people  of 
God.  Thus  it  is  said  (Ps.  xxxiv.  7), 
"  The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth 
round  about  them  that  fear  him,  and 
delivereth  them."  Thus  two  angels 
came  to  hasten  Lot  from  the  cities 
of  the  Plain,  and  to  rescue  him  from 
the  impending  destruction.  Gen.  xix. 
1.  15.  Thus  an  angel  opened  the 
prison  doors  of  the  apostles  and  deli- 
vered them  when  they  had  been  con- 
fined by  the  Jews.  Acts  V.  19.  Thus 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  delivered  Peter 
from  prison  when  he  had  been  con- 
fined by  Herod.  Acts  xii.  7,  8.  (4.) 
Angels  are  sent  to  give  us  strength 


to  resist  temptation.     Aid  was  thus 
furnished    to   the    Redeemer  in    the 
garden  of  Gethsemane,  when   there 
"  appeared    an    angel    from    heaven 
strengthening  him."     Luke  xxii.  43. 
The  great  trial  there  seems  to  have 
been  somehow  connected  with  temp- 
tation ;  some  influence  of  the  power 
of  darkness,  or  of  the  Prince  of  evil. 
Luke   xxii.  53 ;  comp.  John  xiv.  30. 
In  this  aid  whicii  they  rendered  to 
the  tempted    Redeemer,  and  in  the 
assistance  whicli  they  render  to  us 
when  tempted,  there  is  a  special  fit- 
ness and  propriety.     Man  was  at  first 
tempted  by  a  fallen  angel.     No  small 
part — if  not  all  the  temptations  in  the 
world — are  under  the  direction  now 
of  fallen  angels.     They  roam  at  large 
'  seeking    whom    they   may  devour.' 
I.  Pet.  V.  8.     The  temptations  which 
occur  in   life,  the   numerous  allure- 
ments which  beset  our  path,  all  have 
the  marks  of  being  under  the  control 
of  dark  and  malignant  spirits.    What, 
therefore,  can    be  more    appropriate 
than  for  the  pure  angels  of  God  to 
interpose  and   aid  man  against  the 
skill    and  wiles  of  their    tallen  and 
malignant  fellow-spirits  ?    Fallen  an- 
gelic   power    and  skill  —  power  and 
skill  far  above  the  capability  and  the 
strength  of  man — are  employed  to 
ruin  us,  and  how  desirable  is  it  for 
like  power  and  skill,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  benevolence,  to  come  in  to 
aid  us  I     (5.)  They  support  us  in  af. 
fliction.     Thus  an  angel  brought  a 
cheering  message  to  Daniel ;  the  an- 
gels were  present  to  give  comfort  to 
the  disciples  of  the  Saviour  when  he 
had  been  taken  from  them  by  death, 
and   wlien    he    ascended    to  heaven. 
Why  may  it  not  be  so  now,  that  im- 
portant   consolations,  in    some  way, 
are  imparted  to  us  by  angelic  influ- 
ence ?     And  (6.)  they  attend  dying 
saints,  and   conduct  them   to   glory. 
Thus  the    Saviour  says  of  Lazarus 
that  when  he  died  he  was  "  carried 
by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosoVn." 
Luke  xvi.  22.     Is  there  any  impro- 
priety in    supposing  that   tJie    same 
thing  may  be  done  still  ?     Assuredly 
if  anywhere  heavenly  aid  is  needed, 


46 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


it  is  when  the  spirit  leaves  the  body. 
If  anywhere  a  guide  is  needed,  it  is 
when  the  ransomed  soul  goes  up  the 
unknown  path  to  God.  And  if  angels 
are  employed  on  any  messages  of 
merey  to  mankind,  it  is  proper  that 
it  should  be  when  life  is  closing,  and 
the  spirit  is  about  to  ascend  to  heaven. 
Should  it  be  said  that  they  arc  invi- 
sible, and  that  it  is  difficult  to  con- 
ceive how  we  can  be  aided  by  be- 
ings whom  we  never  sec,  I  answer, 
I  know  that  tliej'  are  unseen.  They 
no  longer  appear  as  they  once  did  to 
be  the  visible  protectors  and  defenders 
of  the  people  of  God.  But  no  small 
part  of  the  aid  which  wc  receive  from 
others  comes  from  sources  unseen  by 
us.  We  owe  more  to  unseen  bene- 
factors than  to  those  whom  we  see, 
and  the  most  grateful  of  all  aid,  per- 
haps, is  that  which  is  furnished  by  a 
hand  which  we  do  not  see,  and  from 
quarters  which  we  cannot  trace. 
How  many  an  orphan  is  benefited 
by  some  unseen  and  unknown  bene- 
factor !  So  it  may  be  a  part  of  the 
great  arrangements  of  divine  Provi- 
dence that  many  of  the  mo9t  needed 
and  acceptable  interpositions  for  our 
welfare  should  come  to  us  from  invi- 
sible sources,  and  be  conveyed  to  us 
from  God  by  unseen  hands. 

REMARKS. 

1.  The  Christian  religion  has  a 
Claim  on  the  attention  of  man.  God 
has  spoken  to  us  in  the  Gospel  by  his 
Son.  Vs.  1,  2.  This  fact  constitutes 
a  claim  on  us  to  attend  to  what  is 
spoken  in  the  New  Testament.  When 
God  sent  prophets  to  address  men, 
endowing  them  with  more  tlian  hu- 
man wisdom  and  eloquence,  and 
commanding  them  to  deliver  solemn 
messages  to  mankind,  that  was  a 
reason  why  men  should  hear.  But 
how  much  more  imjjortant  is  the 
message  which  is  brought  by  his  own 
Son!  How  much  more  exalted  the 
Messenger  I  How  much  liigher  his 
claim  to  our  attention  and  regard  ! 
Comp.  Matt.  xx'i.  37.  Yet  it  is  la- 
mentable to  reflect  how  few  attended 
to  him  when  he  lived  on  the  earth, 


and  how  few  comparatively  regard 
him  now.  The  great  mass  of  men 
feel  no  interest  in  the  fact  that  the 
Son  of  God  has  come  and  spoken  to 
the  human  race.  Few  take  the  painp 
to  read  what  he  said,  though  all  the 
records  of  the  discourses  of  the  Sa- 
viour could  be  read  in  a  few  hours. 
A  newspaper  is  read ;  a  poem ;  a 
novel ;  a  play  ;  a  history  of  battles 
and  sieges ;  but  the  New  Testament 
is  neglected,  and  there  are  thousands 
even  in  Christian  lands  who  have  not 
even  read  through  tlie  Sermon  on  the 
Mount !  Few  also  listen  to  the  trutlis 
which  the  Redeemer  taught  when 
they  are  proclaimed  in  the  sanctuary. 
Multitudes  never  go  to  the  place 
w-hcre  the  gospel  is  preached';  multi- 
tudes when  there  are  engaged  in 
thinking  of  other  things,  or  are 
wholly  inattentive  to  the  truths  which 
are  proclaimed.  Such  a  reception 
has  the  Son  of  God  met  with  in  our 
world  !  The  most  wonderful  of  all 
events  is,  that  he  should  have  come 
from  heaven  to  be  the  teacher  of 
mankind ;  ne.xt  to  that,  the  most 
wonderful  event  is,  that  when  he  has 
come  men  feel  no  interest  in  the  fact, 
and  refuse  to  listen  to  what  he  says 
of  the  unseen  and  eternal  world. 
What  a  man  will  say  about  the  possi- 
bility of  making  a  fortune  by  some 
wild  speculation  will  be  listened  to 
with  the  deepest  interest ;  but  what 
the  Redeemer  says  about  the  certainty 
of  heaven  and  eternal  riches  there, 
excites  no  emotion :  what  one  from 
the  dead  might  say  about  the  unseen 
world  would  excite  the  profoundest 
attention ;  what  he  has  said  who  has 
always  dwelt  in  the  unseen  world, 
and  who  knows  all  that  has  occurred 
there,  and  all  that  is  yet  to  occur, 
awakens  no  interest,  and  excites  no 
inquiry.  Such  is  man.  The  visit, 
too,  of  an  illustrious  stranger  —  like 
liafa^'ctte  to  America — will  rouse  a 
nation,  and  spread  enthusiasm  every- 
where ;  the  visit  of  tiie  Son  of  God  to 
the  earth  on  a  great  errand  of  mercy 
is  regarded  as  an  event  of  no  import- 
ance, and  excius  no  interest  in  tho 
great  mass  of  human  hearts. 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


47 


2.  Christ  is  divine.  In  the  view 
of  the  writer  of  tliis  epistle  he  was 
undoubtedly  regarded  as  equal  with 
God.  This  is  so  clear  that  it  seems 
wonderful  that  it  should  ever  have 
been  called  in  question.  He  who 
made  the  worlds  ;  who  is  to  be  wor- 
shipped by  the  angels ;  who  is  ad- 
dressed as  God  ;  who  is  said  to  have 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  and 
to  have  made  the  heavens,  and  to  be 
unchanged  when  all  these  things 
shall  pass  away,  must  be  divine. 
These  are  the  attributes  of  God,  and 
belong  to  him  alone.  These  things 
could  not  be  spoken  of  a  man,  an  an- 
gel, an  archangel.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive  that  attributes  like  these 
could  belong  to  a  creature.  If  they 
could,  then  all  our  notions  of  what 
constitutes  the  distinction  between 
God  and  his  creatures  are  con- 
founded, and  we  can  have  no  intelli- 
gible idea  of  God. 

3.  It  is  not  improbable  that  Christ 
is  the  medium  of  communicating  the 
knowledge  of  the  divine  essence  and 
perfections  to  all  worlds.  He  is  the 
brightness  of  the  divine  glory  —  the 
showing  forth — the  manifestation  of 
God.  Ver.  3.  The  body  of  the  sun 
is  not  seen  —  certainly  not  by  the 
naked  eye.  We  cannot  look  upon  it. 
But  there  is  a  shining,  a  brightness, 
a  glory,  a  manifestation  which  is 
seen.  It  is  in  the  sun-beams,  the 
manifestation  of  the  glory  and  the 
existence  of  the  sun.  By  his  shining 
the  sun  is  known.  So  the  Son  of  God 
— incarnate  or  not — may  be  the  ma- 
nifestation of  the  divine  essence. 
And  from  this  illustration,  may  we 
not  without  irreverence  derive  an 
illustration  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
glorious  Trinity?  There  is  the  body 
of  the  sun — to  us  invisible — yet  great 
and  glorious,  and  the  source  of  all 
light,  and  heat,  and  life.  The  vast 
body  of  the  sun  is  the  source  of  all 
this  radiance,  the  fountain  of  all  that 
warms  and  enlivens.  All  light  and 
heat  and  life  depend  on  him,  and 
should  he  be  extinct  all  would  die. 
Thus  may  it  not  be  with  God  the 
Father;    God   the    eternal   and    un- 


changing essence  —  the  fountain  of 
all  light,  and  life  in  the  universe. — 
In  the  sun  there  is  also  the  manifes- 
tation—  the  shining  —  the  glorious 
light.  The  brightness  which  we 
see  emanates  from  that  —  emanates 
at  once,  continually,  always.  While 
the  sun  exists,  that  exists,  and  can- 
not be  separated  from  it.  By  that 
brightness  the  sun  is  seen ;  by  that 
the  world  is  enlightened.  Without 
these  beams  there  would  be  no  light, 
but  all  would  be  involved  in  dark- 
ness. What  a  beautiful  representa- 
tion of  the  Son  of  God  —  the  bright, 
ness  of  the  divine  glory  ;  the  medium 
by  which  God  is  made  known ;  the 
source  of  light  to  man,  and  for  aught 
we  know,  to  the  universe !  When 
he  shines  on  men,  there  ig  light; 
when  he  does  not  shine,  there  is  as 
certain  moral  darkness  as  there  is 
night  when  the  sun  sinks  in  the 
west.  And  for  aught  we  can  see, 
the  manifestation  which  the  Son  of 
God  makes  may  be  as  necessary  in 
all  worlds  to  a  proper  contemplation 
of  the  divine  essence,  as  the  beams 
of  the  sun  are  to  understand  its  na- 
ture. Then  there  are  the  Avarmth 
and  heat  and  vivifying  influences  of 
the  sun  —  an  influence  which  is  the 
source  of  life  and  beauty  to  the  ma- 
terial world.  It  is  not  the  mere 
shining — it  is  the  attendant  warmth 
and  vivifying  power.  All  nature  is 
dependent  on  it.  Each  seed,  and 
bud,  and  leaf,  and  flower ;  each  spire 
of  grass,  and  each  animal  on  earth, 
and  each  bird  on  the  wing,  is  depen- 
dent on  it.  Without  that,  vegetation 
would  decay  at  once,  and  animal  life 
would  be  extinct,  and  universal  death 
would  reign.  What  a  beautiful  illus- 
tration of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  of  his 
influences  on  the  moral  world  !  "  The 
Lord  God  is  a  Sun"  (Ps.  Ixxxiv.  11); 
and  I  do  not  see  that  it  is  improper 
thus  to  derive  from  the  sun  an  illus- 
tration of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity. 
I  am  certain  we  should  know  no- 
thing of  the  sun  but  for  the  beams 
that  reveal  him,  and  that  enlighten 
the  world ;  and  I  am  certain  that  all 
animal  and  vegetable  life  would  die 


48 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


if  it  were  not  for  his  vivifying  and 
quickening  rays.  I  do  not  sec  that 
it  may  not  be  equally  probable  that 
the  nature — the  essence  of  God  would 
be  unknown  were  it  not  manifested 
by  the  Son  of  God;  and  I  am  certain 
that  all  moral  and  spiritual  life  would 
die  were  it  not  for  the  quickening 
and  vivifying  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  on  the  human  soul. 

4.  Christ  has  made  an  atonement 
for  sin.  Vcr.  3.  He  has  done  it  by 
"himself."  It  was  not  by  the  blood 
of  bulls  and  of  goats ;  it  was  by  his 
own  blood.  Let  us  rejoice  that  wc 
have  not  now  to  come  before  God 
with  a  bloody  offering  ;  that  we  need 
not  come  leading  up  a  lamb  to  be 
slain,  but  that  wc  may  come  con- 
fiding in  that  blood  which  has  been 
shnd  for  the  sins  of  mankind.  The 
great  sacrifice  has  been  made.  The 
victim  is  slain.  The  blood  has  been 
offered  which  expiates  the  sin  of  the 
world.  We  may  now  come  at  once 
to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  plead  the 
merits  of  that  blood.  How  different 
is  our  condition  from  that  of  the  an- 
cient Jewish  worshippers !  They 
were  required  to  come  leading  the 
victim  that  was  to  be  slain  for  sin, 
and  to  do  this  every  year  and  every 
day.  We  may  come  with  the  feeling 
that  the  one  great  sacrifice  has  been 
made  for  us ;  that  it  is  never  to  be 
repeated,  and  that  in  that  sacrifice 
there  is  merit  sufficient  to  cancel  all 
our  sins. — How  different  our  condi- 
tion from  that  of  the  heathen  !  They 
too  lead  up  sacrifices  to  be  slain  on 
bloody  altars.  They  offer  lambs, 
and  goats,  and  bullocks,  and  captives 
taken  in  war,  and  slaves,  and  even 
their  own  children  I  But  amidst 
these  horrid  offerings,  wliile  they 
show  their  deep  conviction  that  sojne 
sacrifice  is  necessary,  they  have  no 
promise — no  evidence  whatever,  that 
the  sacrifice  will  be  accepted.  They 
go  away  nnpardoncd.  They  repeat 
the  offering  with  no  evidence  that 
their  sins  arc  forgiven,  and  at  last 
they  die  in  despair !  We  come  as- 
sured that  the  '  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
clcanseth  from  all  sin,' — and  the  soul 


rejoices  in  tlie  evidence  that  all  past 
sins  are  forgiven,  and  is  at  peace 
with  God. 

5.  Let  us  rejoice  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  is  thus  exalted  to  the  right 
hand  of  God.  Vs.  3,  4.  He  has  gone 
into  heaven.  He  is  seated  on  the 
throne  of  glory.  He  has  suffered  the 
last  pang,  and  shed  the  last  drop  of 
blood  that  will  ever  be  necessary  to 
be  shed  for  the  sins  of  the  world. 
No  cold  tomb  is  again  to  hold  him  ; 
and  no  spear  of  a  soldier  is  again  to 
enter  his  side.  He  is  now  happy 
and  glorious  in  heaven.  The  angels 
there  render  him  homage  (ver.  6), 
and  the  universe  is  placed  under  his 
control. 

6.  It  is  right  to  worship  the  Lord 
Jesus.  When  he  came  into  the 
world  the  angels  were  required  to  do 
it  (ver.  6),  and  it  cannot  be  wrong 
for  ns  to  do  it  now.  If  the  angels  in 
heaven  might  properly  worship  him, 
we  may.  If  they  worshipped  him,  he 
is  divine.  Assuredly  God  would  not 
require  them  to  worship  a  fellow-an- 
gel or  a  man ! — I  feel  safe  in  adoring 
where  angels  adore ;  I  do  not  feel 
that  I  have  a  right  to  withhold  my 
homage  where  they  have  been  re- 
quired to  render  theirs. 

7.  It  is  right  to  address  the  Lord 
Jesus  as  God.  Ver.  8.  If  he  is  so 
addressed  in  the  language  of  inspira- 
tion, it  is  not  improper  for  us  so  to 
address  him.  We  do  not  err  when 
we  adhere  closely  to  the  language  of 
the  Bible  ;  nor  can  wc  have  a  stronger 
evidence  that  we  are  right  than  that 
we  express  our  sentiments  and  our 
devotions  in  the  very  language  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures. 

8.  The  kingdom  of  the  Redeemer 
is  a  righteous  kingdom.  It  is  founded 
in  equity.  Vs.  8,  9.  Other  king- 
doms have  hern  kingdoms  of  cruelty, 
oppression,  and  blood.  Tyrants  have 
swayed  an  iron  sceptre  over  men. 
But  not  thus  with  the  Redeemer  in 
his  kingdom.  There  is  not  a  law 
there  which  is  not  equal  and  mild ; 
not  a  statute  which  it  would  not  pro- 
mote the  temporal  and  eternal  wel- 
fare of  man  to  obey.     Happy  is  the 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  I. 


49 


man  that  is  wholly  under  his  sceptre  ; 
happy  the  king-dom  that  yields  entire 
obedience  to  his  laws  ! 

9.  The  heavens  shall  perish ;  the 
earth  shall  decay.  Vs.  10,  11.  Great 
changes  have  already  taken  place  in 
the  earth — as  the  researches  of  geolo- 
gists show ;  and  we  have  no  reason 
t()  doubt  that  similar  changes  may 
hive  occurred  in  distant  worlds.  Still 
greater  changes  may  be  expected  to 
occur  in  future  times,  and  some  of 
them  we  may  be  called  to  witness. 
Our  souls  are  to  exist  for  ever ;  and 
far  on  in  future  ages — far  beyond  the 
utmost  period  which  we  can  now 
compute — we  may  witness  most  im- 
portant changes  in  these  heavens  and 
this  earth.  God  may  display  his 
power  in  a  manner  which  has  never 
been  seen  yet;  and  safe  near  his 
throne  his  people  may  be  permitted 
to  behold  the  exhibition  of  power  of 
which  the  mind  has  never  yet  had 
the  remotest  conception. 

10.  Yet  amidst  these  changes,  the 
Saviour  will  be  the  same.  Ver.  12. 
He  changes  not.  In  all  past  revolu- 
tions, he  has  been  the  same.  In  all 
the  changes  which  have  occurred  in 
the  physical  world,  he  has  been  un- 
changed ;  in  all  the  revolutions  which 
have  occurred  among  kingdoms,  he 
has  been  unmoved.  One  change 
succeeds  another  ;  kingdoms  rise  and 
fall  and  empires  waste  away ;  one 
generation  goes  otF  to  be  succeeded 
by  another,  but  he  remains  the  same. 
No  matter  what  tempests  howl,  or 
how  wars  rage,  or  how^the  pestilence 
spreads  abroad,  or  how  the  earth  is 
shaken  by  earthquakes,  still  the  Re- 
deemer is  the  same.  And  no  matter 
what  are  our  external  changes,  he  is 
the  same.  We  pass  from  childhood 
to  youth,  to  manhood,  to  old  age,  but 
he    changes    not.     We  are    in  pros- 

>  perity  or  adversity ;  we  may  pass 
from  affluence  to  poverty,  from  ho- 
nour to  dishonour,  from  health  to 
sickness,  but  he  is  the  same.  We 
may  go  and  lie  down  in  the  cold 
tomb,  and  our  mortal  frames  may  de- 
cay, but  he  is  the  same  during  our 
long   sleep,  and  he  will  remain  the 


same  till  he  shall  return  and  summon 
us  to  renovated  life.  I  rejoice  that 
in  all  the  circumstances  of  hfe  I  have 
the  same  Saviour.  I  know  what  he 
is.  I  know,  if  the  expression  may  be 
allowed,  'where  he  may  be  fomid.' 
Man  may  change  by  caprice,  or 
whim,  or  by  some  new  suggestion  of 
interest,  of  passion,  or  ambition.  I 
go  to  my  friend  to-day,  and  find  him 
kind  and  true  —  but  I  have  no  abso- 
lute  certainty  tj^at  I  shall  find  him 
sucli  to-morrow.  His  feelings,  fi-om 
some  unknown  cause,  may  have  be- 
come cold  towards  me.  Some  enemy 
may  liave  breathed  suspicion  into  his 
ear  about  me,  or  he  may  have  formed 
some  stronger  attachment,  or  he  may 
be  sick,  or  dead.  But  nothing  like 
this  can  happen  in  regard  to  the  Re- 
deemer. He  changes  not.  I  am 
sure  that  he  is  always  the  same.  No 
one  can  influence  him  by  slander ;  no 
new  friendship  can  weaken  the  old; 
no  sickness  or  death  can  occur  to  him 
to  change  him ;  and  though  the  hea- 
vens be  on  fire,  and  the  earth  be  con- 
vulsed, lie  is  THE  SAME.  In  such  a 
Saviour  I  may  confide  ;  in  such  a 
friend  why  should  not  all  confide? 
Of  earthly  attachments  it  has  been 
too  truly  said, 

"  And  what  is  friendship  but  a  name, 
A  charm  that  lulls  to  sleep  ; 
A  shade  that  follows  wealth  or  fame, 
But  leaves  the  wretch  to  weep  ?" 

But  this  can  never  be  said  of  the  at- 
tachment formed  between  the  Chris- 
tian and  the  Redeemer.  That  is  un- 
affected by  all  external  changes  ;  that 
shall  live  in  all  the  revolutions  of 
material  things,  and  when  all  earthfy 
ties  shall  be  severed ;  that  shall  sur. 
vive  the  dissolution  of  all  things. 

11.  We  see  the  dignity  of  man. 
Vs.  13,  14.  Angels  are  sent  to  be  his 
attendants.  They  come  to  minister  to 
him  here,  and  to  conduct  him  home 
'to  glory.'  Kings  and  princes  are 
surrounded  by  armed  men,  or  by  sages 
called  to  be  their  counsellors  ;  but  the 
most  humble  saint  may  be  encompassed 
by  a  retinue  of  beings  of  far  greater 
power  and  more  elevated  rank.  The 
angels  of  light  and  glory  feel  a  deep 


&0 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


interest  in  the  Balvation  of  men. 
They  come  to  attend  the  redeemed ; 
tliey  wait  on  tlicir  steps;  they  sustain 
them  in  trial ;  they  accompany  them 
when  dcjiartiiig  to  heaven.  It  is  a 
higher  honour  to  he  attended  by  one 
of  those  pure  inteUigonces  than  by  the 
most  elevated  monarch  that  ever 
swayed  a  sceptre  or  wore  a  crown; 
and  the  pbscurest  Christian  shall  soon 
be  himself  conducted  to  a  throne  in 
heaven,  compared  with  which  the 
most  splendid  seat  of  royally  on  earth 
loses  its  lustre  and  fades  away. 

"And  is  there  care   in   lieaven  7   and  Is 
Ihore  love 
In  lieaveiily  spirits  to  these  creatures 
base. 
That    may  compassion    of   their    evils 
move? 
There  is:  —  else  much  more  wretched 
were  the  case 
Of  men  than  lieasts;  But  O!  th'  cxceed- 
ini;  grace 
Of  Highest   God  that  loves  his  crea- 
tures so. 
And  all  his  works  of  mercy  doth  embrace, 
That  blessed  angels  he  sends  to  and  fro. 
To  serve  to  wicked  man,  to  serve  his 
wicked  foe! 

•'  How  oft  do  they  their  silver  bowers  leave, 
To  come  to  succour   us  that  succour 
want  I 
How  do  they  with  golden  pinions  cleave 
The  yielding  skies,  like  flying  pursui- 
vant, 
Against  foul  fiends  to  aid  us  militant ! 
They  for  us  fight,  they  watch  aiui  duly 
ward. 
And  their  bright  squadrons  round  about 
us  pliint ; 
And  all  for  love  and  nothing  for  re- 
ward ; 
O  why  should  Heavenly  God  to  men 
have  such  regard  !" 
Bpemer's Faery  Queen,  B.  II.  Canto  viii.  1,2. 

•  ]2.  What  has  God  done  for  the 
salvation  of  man !  He  forined  an 
eternal  plan.  He  sent  his  proi)hcts 
to  communicate  his  will.  He  sent 
his  Son  to  bear  a  message  of  mercy, 
and  to  die  the  just  for  the  unjust. 
He  exalted  him  to  heaven,  and  placed 
the  universe  under  his  control  that 
man  may  be  saved.  He  sent  his 
Holy  Spirit ;  his  ministers  and  mes- 
sengers for  this.  And  last,  to  com- 
plete the  work,  lie  sends  his  angels 
to  be  ministering  spirits ;  to  sustain 
his  people ;  to  comfort  them  in  dying ; 


to  attend  them  to  the  realms  of  glory. 
What  an  interest  is  felt  in  the  salva- 
tion of  a  single  Christian  !  What  a 
value  he  has  in  the  universe !  And 
how  important  it  is  that  he  should  be 
holy  !  A  man  who  has  been  redeemed 
liy  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God  should 
be  pure.  He  who  is  an  heir  of  life 
should  be  holy.  He  wlio  is  attended 
by  celestial  beings,  and  who  is  soon — 
he  knows  not  hoio  uoon — to  be  trans- 
lated to  heaven,  should  be  holy.  Are 
angels  my  attendants  ?  Then  I  should 
walk  worthy  of  my  companionship. 
Am  I  soon  to  go  and  dwell  with  an- 
gels ?  Tlien  I  should  be  pure.  Are 
these  feet  soon  to  tread  the  courts  of 
lieaven  ?  Is  this  tongue  soon  to  unite 
with  heavenly  beings  in  praising 
God  ?  -\rc  these  eyes  soon  to  look  on 
the  throne  of  eternal  glory,  and  on 
the  ascended  Redeemer  ?  Tlicn  these 
feet,  and  eyes,  and  lips  should  be  pure 
and  holy,  and  I  should  be  dead  to'tlie 
world,  and  should  live  only  lor  heaven. 

CHAPTER  II. 

ANALYSIS  OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

The  main  object  of  this  chapter  is, 
to  show  that  we  should  attend  dili- 
gently to  the  things  whicii  were 
spoken  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  not 
sutfer  them  to  glide  away  /roin  us. 
The  apostle  seems  to  have  supposed 
tliat  some  might  be  inclined  to  disre- 
gard what  was  spoken  by  one  of  so 
humble  appearance  as  the  Lord  Je- 
sus ;  and  that  they  would  urge  that 
the  Old  Testament  had  been  given 
by  the  interposition  of  angels,  and 
was  therefore  more  worthy  of  atten- 
tion. To  meet  this,  he  shows  tha» 
isnportnnt  objeets  were  accomplished 
by  his  becoming  a  man ;  and  t!ia« 
even  as  a  man,  power  and  dignity 
iiad  been  conferred  on  him  superioi 
to  that  of  tJie  angels.  In  illustration 
of  tliese  points,  the  chapter  contains 
the  following  subjects  : — (I.)  An  e.\. 
hortation  not  to  suffer  the  things 
which  had  been  s{)oken  to  slip  from 
tlie  mind — or  in  other  words,  to  at 
tend  to  tliem  diligentl}'  and  carefully 
The  argument  is,  that  if  what  was 
siwkcn  by  tlic  angels  under  the  old 


A.  D.  61.} 


CHAPTER  II. 


51 


CHAPTER  II. 

THEREFORE  we   ought  to 
give  the  more  earnest  heed 
to  the    things  which  we    have 

dispensation  claimed  attention,  much 
more  should  that  be  regarded  which 
was  spoken  by  the  Son  of  God.  Vs. 
1 — 4.  (2.)  Jesus  had  been  lionoured, 
as  incarnate,  in  such  a  way  as  to  show 
that  lie  had  a  right  to  be  heard,  and 
that  what  he  said  should  receive  the 
profound  attention  of  men.  Vs.  5 — 9. 
The  world  to  come  had  not  been  put 
under  the  angels  as  it  had  been  under 
him  (ver.  5) ;  the  general  principle 
had  been  stated  in  the  Scriptures  that 
all  things  were  put  under  man  (vs. 
6,  7),  but  this  was  fulfilled  only  in 
the  Lord  Jesus,  who  had  been  made 
a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and 
when  so  made  crowned  with  glory 
and  honour.  Ver.  9.  His  appearance 
as  a  man,  therefore,  was  in  no  way 
inconsistent  with  what  had  been  said 
of  his  dignity,  or  his  claim  to  be 
heard.  (3.)  The  apostle  then  pro- 
ceeds to  show  why  he  became  a  man, 
and  why,  though  he  was  so  exalted, 
he  was  subjected  to  so  severe  suffer- 
ings ;  and  with  this  the  chapter  closes. 
Vs.  10 — 18.  It  was  because  this  was 
proper  from  the  relation  which  he 
sustained  to  man.  The  argument  is, 
that  the  Redeemer  and  his  people 
were  identified  ;  that  lie  did  not  come 
to  save  angels,  and  tliat,  therefore, 
there  was  a  propriety  in  his  assuming 
the  nature  of  man,  and  being  sub- 
jected to  trials  like  those  whom  he 
came  to  save.  In  all  things  it  be- 
hoved him  to  be  made  like  his  bretlircn, 
in  order  to  redeem  them,  and  in  order 
to  set  them  an  example,  and  show 
them  how  to  suffer.  Tlie  humilia- 
tion, therefore,  of  the  Redeemer  ;  the 
>  fact  that  he  appeared  as  a  man,  and 
that  he  was  a  sufferer,  so  far  from 
being  a  reason  why  he  should  not  be 
heard,  was  rather  an  additional  reason 
why  we  should  attend  to  what  he 
aaid.  He  had  a  claim  to  the  right  of 
being  heard  not  only  from  his  original 
dignity,  but  from  the  friendship  wliich 
4 


heard,    lest    at    any    time    we 
should  '  let  them  slip. 

1  run  out,  as  leaking  vessels. 


he  has  evinced  for  us  in  taking  upon 
himself  our  nature,  and  suffering  in 
our  behalf. 

1.  Therefore.  Gr.  'On  account  of 
this' — Aia  TovTo — that  is,  on  account 
of  the  exalted  dignity  and  rank  of  the 
Messiah  as  stated  in  the  previous 
chapter.  The  sense  is, '  Since  Christ, 
the  author  of  the  new  dispensation, 
is  so  far  exalted  above  the  prophets, 
and  even  the  angels,  we  ought  to  give 
the  more  earnest  attention  to  all  that 
has  been  spoken.'  IT  We  ought.  It 
is  Jit  or  proper  (Gr.  ict)  that  we  should 
attend  to  those  things.  When  the 
Son  of  God  speaks  to  men,  every  con- 
sideration makes  it  appropriate  that 
we  should  attend  to  what  is  spoken. 
^  To  give  the  more  earnest  heed.  To 
give  the  more  strict  attention.  IT  To 
the  things  which  we  have  heard. 
Wliether  directly  from  the  Lord  Je- 
sus,  or  from  his  apostles.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  some  of  those  to  whom  the 
apostle  was  writing  had  heard  the 
Lord  Jesus  himself  preach  the  gos- 
pel ;  others  had  heard  the  same  truths 
declared  by  the  apostles.  IT  Lest  at 
any  time.  We  ought  to  attend  to 
those  things  at  aU  times.  We  ought 
never  to  forget  them  ;  never  to  be  in- 
different to  them.  We  are  sometimes 
interested  in  them,  and  then  we  feel 
indifferent  to  them ;  sometimes  at 
leisure  to  attend  to  them,  and  then 
the  cares  of  the  world,  or  a  heaviness 
and  dullness  of  mind,  or  a  cold  and 
languid  state  of  the  affections,  ren- 
ders us  indifferent  to  them,  and  they 
are  suffered  to  pass  out  of  the  mind 
without  concern.  Paul  says,  that 
this  ought  never  to  be  done.  At  no 
time  should  we  be  indifferent  to  those 
things.  They  are  always  important  to. 
us,  and  we  should  never  be  in  a  state 
of  mind  when  they  would  be  uninter- 
esting.  At  all  times ;  in  all  places ;  and 
in  every  situation  of  life,  we  should  feel 
that  the  truths  of  religion  are  of  more 


53 


HEBIIKWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


importance  to  us  than  all  other  truths, 
and  notiiing  should  be  sull'cred  to  ef- 
face their  image  from  the  lieart. 
If  We  s/iould  let  them  slip.  I\Iarg. 
Run  out  (IS  leaking  vessels.  Tiudul 
renders  tiiis,  '  lest  we  be  spilt.'  The 
expression  here  has  ^iven  rise  to 
mucli  discussion  as  to  its  meaning ; 
and  has  been  very  differently  trans- 
lated.  Doddridge  renders  it,  '  lest  we 
let  them  flow  out  of  our  minds.'  Prof. 
Stuart,  '  lest  at  any  time  we  should 
slight  them.'  Wiiitby,  'tliat  they 
may  not  entirely  slip  out  of  our  me- 
mories.' The  word  hero  used — 
wapappf'w — occurs  nowhere  else  in  the 
New  Testament.  The  Septuagint 
translators  have  used  the  word  but 
once.  Prov.  iii.  21.  '  Son,  do  not  pass 
by  (fi^  irapappujis)  but  keep  my  coun- 
sel ;'  that  is,  do  not  pass  by  my  ad- 
vice by  neglect,  or  suffer  it  to  be  dis- 
regarded. The  word  means,  accord- 
ing to  Passoiv,  to  $ow  by,  to  flow  over ; 
and  then  to  go  by,  to  fall,  to  go  awa}\ 
It  is  used  to  mean  to  flow  near,  to 
flow  by — as  of  a  river  ;  to  glide  away, 
to  escape — as  from  the  mind,  i.  e.  to 
forget ;  and  to  glide  along — as  a  thief 
does  by  stealth.  See  Robinson^s  Lex. 
The  Syriac  and  Arabic  translators 
have  rendered  it,  that  we  may  not  fall. 
After  all  that  has  been  said  on  the 
meaning  of  the  word  here  {comp.  Stu- 
art in  loc),  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
true  sense  of  the  expression  is  that 
of  flowing,  or  gliding  by — as  a  river  ; 
and  that  the  meaning  here  is,  that  we 
should  be  very  cautious  that  the  im- 
portant truths  spoken  by  the  Redeem- 
er and  his  apostles  should  not  be  suf- 
fered to  glide  by  us  without  attention, 
or  without  profit.  We  should  not 
allow  them  to  be  like  a  stream  that 
glides  on  by  us  without  benefiting  us  ; 
that  is,  we  should  endeavour  to  se- 
cure and  retain  them  as  our  own. 
The  truth  taught  is,  that  there  is  great 
danger,  now  that  the  true  system  of 
religion  has  been  revealed,  tliat  it  will 
Aot  profit  us,  but  that  we  shall  Mse 
all  the  benefit  of  it.  This  danger 
may  arisfe  from  many  sources — some 
of  which  are  tlie  following  : — (1.)  We 
may  not  feel  that  the  truths  revealed 


are  important — and  before  their  im- 
portance is  felt,  they  may  be  beyond 
our  reach.  So  we  are  often  deceived 
in  regard  to  the  importance  of  objects 
— and  before  we  perceive  their  value 
they  are  irrccowrably  gone.  So  it  is 
often  with  time,  and  with  the  oppor- 
tunities of  obtaining  an  education,  or 
of  accomplishing  any  object  which  is 
of  value.  The  opportunity  is  gone 
before  we  perceive  its  importance. 
So  the  young  suffer  the  most  import- 
ant period  of  life  to  ^lide  away  be- 
fore they  perceive  its  value,  and  the 
opportunity  of  making  much  of  their 
talents  is  lost  because  they  did  not 
embrace  the  suitable  opportunities. 
(2.)  By  being  engrossed  in  business. 
We  feci  that  that  is  now  the  most  im- 
portant thing.  That  claims  all  our 
attention.  We  have  no  time  to  pray, 
to  read  the  Bible,  to  think  of  religion, 
for  the  cares  of  the  world  engross  all 
the  time  —  and  the  opportunities  of 
salvatioi\  glide  insensibly  away,  until 
it  is  too  late.  (3.)  By  being  attract- 
ed by  the  pleasures  of  life.  We  at- 
tend to  them  now,  and  arc  drawn 
along  from  one  to  another,  until  reli- 
gion is  suffered  to  glide  away  with 
all  its  hopes  and  consolations,  and  we 
perceive^  too  late,  that  wc  have  let 
the  opportunity  of  salvation  slip  for 
ever.  Allured  by  those  pleasures,  the 
young  neglect  it ;  and  new  pleasures 
starting  up  in  future  life  carry  on  the 
delusion,  until  every  favourable  oppor- 
timity  for  salvation  has  passed  away. 
(4.)  We  suffer  favourable  opportuni- 
ties to  pass  by  without  improving 
them.  Youth  is  by  far  the  best  time, 
as  it  is  the  most  appropriate  time,  to 
become  a  Christian  —  and  yet  how 
easy  is  it  to  allow  that  period  to  slip 
away  without  becoming  interested  in 
•the  Saviour  I  One  day  glides  on  after 
another,  and  one  week,  one  month, 
one  year  passes  away  after  another — 
like  a  gently-flowing  stream  —  untii. 
all  the  precious  time  of  youth  has 
gone,  and  we  are  not  Christians.  So 
a  revival  of  religion  is  a  favourable 
time  —  and  yet  many  suffer  this  to 
pass  by  without  becoming  interested 
in  it.     Others  are  converted,  and  ths 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


53 


2.  For  if  the  word  spoken  by 
angels  "  was  steadfast,  and  *  eve- 
ry transgression  and  disobedi- 

a  Ac.  7.  53.  b  Nu.  15,  31. 

heavenly  influences  descend  all  around 
us,  but  we  are  unaffected,  and  tlie 
season  so  full  of  happy  and  heavenly 
influences  is  gone — to  return  no  more, 
(o.)  We  let  the  favourable  season  slip, 
because  we  design  to  attend  to  it  at 
some  future  period  of  life.  So  youth 
defers  it  to  manhood — manhood  to  old 
age  —  old  age  to  a  death-bed  —  and 
then  neglects  it — until  the  whole  of 
life  has  glided  away,  and  the  soul  is 
not  saved.  Paul  knew  man.  He 
knew  how  prone  he  was  to  let  the 
things  of  religion  slip  out  of  the  mind 
—  and  hence  the  earnestness  of  his 
caution  that  we  should  give  heed  to 
the  subject  now — lest  the  opportunity 
of  salvation  should  soon  glide  awa3\ 
When  once  passed,  it  can  never  be 
recalled.  Learn  hence  (I.)  the  truths 
of  religion  will  not  benefit  us  un- 
less we  give  heed  to  them.  It  will 
not  save  us  that  the  Lord  Jesus  has 
come  and  spoken  to  men,  unless  we 
are  disposed  to  listen.  It  will  not 
benefit  us  that  the  sun  shines,  unless 
we  open  our  eyes.  Books  will  not 
benefit  us,  unless  we  read  them  ;  medi- 
cine, unless  we  take  it ;  nor  will  the 
fruits  of  the  earth  sustain  our  lives, 
however  rich  and  abundant  they  may 
be,  if  we  disregard  and  neglect  them. 
So  with  the  truths  of  religion.  There 
is  truth  enough  to  save  the  world — 
but  the  world  disregards  and  despises 
it.  (2.)  It  needs  not  great  sins  to 
destroy  the  soul.  Simple  neglect  will 
do  it  as  certainly  as  atrocious  crimes. 
Every  man  has  a  sinful  heart  that 
will  destroy  him  unless  he  makes  an 
effort  to  be  saved  ;  and  it  is  not  merely 
the  great  sinner,  therefore,  who  is  in 
danger.  It  is  the  man  wlio  neglects 
his  soul — whether  a  moral  or  an-im- 
moral  man — a  daughter  of  amiable- 
ness,  or  a  daughter  of  vanity  and 
vice. 

2.  For  if  the   word  spoken  hy  an- 
gels.     The  revelation  in  the  Old  Tes- 
I  5* 


ence  received  a  just  recompense 
of  reward  ; 

3.  How  '  shall  we  escape,  if 


cc.  4.  1,  11. 


tament.  It  was  indeed  given  by  Je- 
hovah, but  it  was  the  common  opinion 
of  the  Hebrews  that  it  was  by  the 
ministry  of  angels.  See  Notes  on 
Acts  vii.  38.  53,  and  Gal.  iii.  19,-_ 
where  this  point  is  fully  considered. 
As  Paul  was  discoursing  here  of  the 
superiority  of  the  Redeemer  to  the 
angels,  it  was  to  the  point  to  refer  to 
the  fact  that  the  law  had  been  given 
by  the  ministry  of  angels.  If  Was 
steadfast.  Was  Jirm  —  jiiiiaioi  —  set- 
tled— established.  It  was  not  vacil- 
lating and  fluctuating.  It  determin- 
ed what  crime  was,  and  it  was  firm 
in  its  punishment.  It  did  not  yield 
to  circumstances ;  but  if  not  obeyed 
in  all  respects,  it  denounced  punish- 
ment. The  idea  here  is  not  that 
everything  wa.s  fulfilled,  but  it  is,  that 
the  law  so  given  could  not  be  violated 
with  impunity.  It  was  not  safe  to 
violate  it,  but  it  took  notice  of  the 
slightest  failure  to  yield  perfect  obe-' 
dience  to  its  demands,  tf  And  every 
transgression.  Literally,  going  be- 
yond,  passing  by.  It  means  every 
instance  of  disregarding  the  law. 
^  And  disobedience.  Every  instance 
of  not  hearing  the  law — irapaKoh — and 
hence  every  instance  of  disobeying 
it.  The  word  here  stands  opposite  to 
hearing  it,  or  attending  to  it  —  and 
the  sense  of  the  whole  is,  that  the 
slightest  infraction  of  the  law  was 
sure  to  be  pmiished.  It  made  no  pro- 
vision for  indulgence  in  sin ;  it  de- 
manded prompt,  implicit,  and  entire 
obedience.  H  Received  a  just  recom- 
pense of  reward.  Was  strictly  pun- 
ished. Subjected  to  equal  retribution. 
This  was  the  character  of  the  law 
It  threatened  punishment  for  each  and 
every  offence,  and  made  no  allowanca 
for  transgression  in  any  form.  Comp 
Num.  XV.  30,  31. 

3.  How  shall  we  escape.  How  shall 
we  escape  the  just  recompense  due  to 
transgressors?    What   way  is  thoro 


54 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  I).  G4. 


we  neglect  go  great  salvation ; 
which"  at  the  first  began  to  be 

a  Mar.  1.  14. 

of  bcinfr  saved  from  punishiiicnt,^f 
we  suffer  tlie  fjreat  salvation  to  be 
neglected,  and  do  not  embrace  its  of- 
fers? The  sense  is,  that  there  is  no 
other  way  of  salvation,  and  the  neg- 
lect of  this  will  be  followed  by  cer- 
tain destruction.  Why  it  will,  the 
apostle  proceeds  to  show,  by  stating' 
that  this  plan  of  salvation  was  pro- 
claimed first  by  the  Lord  himself,  and 
had  been  confirmed  by  the  most  de- 
cided and  amazing  miracles.  If  If 
we  neglect.  It  is  not  merely  if  we 
commit  g-reat  sins.  Not,  if  we  are 
murderers,  adulterers,  thieves,  infidels, 
atheists,  scoffers.  It  is,  if  we  merely 
neglect  this  salvation — if  wc  do  not 
embrace  it  —  if  we  suffer  it  to  pass 
unimproved. — Neglect  is  enough  to 
ruin  a  man.  A  man  who  is  in  busi- 
ness need  not  commit  forgery  or  rob- 
bery, to  ruin  himself;  he  he  has  only 
to  neglect  his  business,  and  his  ruin 
is  certain.  A  man  who  is  lying  on 
a  bed  of  sickness,  need  not  eut  his 
throat  to  destroy  himself;  he  has  only 
to  neglect  the  means  of  restoration, 
and  he  will  be  ruined.  A  man  float- 
ing in  a  skiff  above  Niagara,  need 
not  move  an  oar  or  make  an  effort  to 
destroy  himself;  he  has  only  to  neg- 
led  using  the  oar  at  the  proper  time, 
and  he  will  certainly  be  carried  over 
the  cataract.  Most  of  the  calamities 
of  life  are  caused  by  simple  neglect. 
By  neglect  of  education  children  grow 
up  in  ignorance ;  by  neglect  a  farm 
grows  up  to  weeds  and  briars ;  by 
neglect  a  liouse  goes  to  decay ;  by 
neglect  of  sowing,  a  man  will  have  no 
harvest ;  by  neglect  of  reaping,  the 
harvesttwould  rot  in  the  fields.  No 
worldly  interest  can  prosper  wliere 
there  is  neglect ;  and  why  may  it  not 
be  so  in  religion  ?  There  is  nothing 
in  earthly  affairs  that  is  valuable 
that  will  not  be  ruined  if  it  is  not 
attended  to  —  and  why  may  it  not 
be  so  with  the  concerns  of  the  soul '! 
Let  no  one  infi'r,  therefore,  that  be- 
cause he  is  not  a  drunkard,  or  an 


spoken  by  the  Lord,  and  was 
confirmed  unto  us  by  them  that 
heard  him ; 

adulterer,  or  a  murderer,  that,  tliere- 
forc,  he  will  be  saved.  Such  an  in- 
ference would  be  as  irrational  as  it 
would  be  for  a  man  to  infer  that  be- 
cause he  is  not  a  murderer  his  farm 
will  produce  a  harvest,  or  that  be- 
cause he  is  not  an  adulterer  there- 
fore his  merchandise  will  take  care 
of  itself.  Salvation  would  be  worth 
nothing  if  it  cost  no  effort  —  and 
there  will  be  no  salvation  where  no 
effort  is  put  forth.  If  So  great  sal. 
iMtion.  Salvation  from  sin  and  fi-om 
hell.  It  is  called  great  because  (L) 
its  author  is  great.  This  is  perhaps 
the  main  idea  in  this  passage.  It 
'  began  to  be  spoken  by  the  Lord  ;'  it 
had  for  its  author  the  Son  of  God, 
who  is  so  much  superior  to  the  an- 
gels ;  whom  the  angels  were  required 
to  worship  (ch,  i.  6) ;  who  is  expressly 
called  God  (ch.  i.  8) ;  who  made  all 
tilings,  and  who  is  eternal.  Ch.  i.  10 
— 12.  A  system  of  salvation  promul- 
gated by  liim  must  be  of  infinite  im- 
portance, and  have  a  claim  to  the 
attention  of  man.  (2.)  It  is  great  be- 
cause it  saves  from  great  sins.  It  is 
adapted  to  deliver  from  all  sins,  no 
matter  how  aggravated.  No  one  is 
saved  who  feels  tliat  his  sins  are 
small,  or  that  they  are  of  no  conse 
quoncc.  Each  one  sees  his  sins  to  be 
black  and  aggravated,  and  each  one 
who  enters  heaven,  will  go  there 
feeling  and  confessing  that  it  is  a 
great  salvation  which  has  brought 
such  a  sinner  there.  Besides,  this 
salvation  delivers  from  all  sin — no 
matter  how  gross  and  aggrav^kted. 
The  adulterer,  tlie  murderer,  tlie 
blasphemer,  may  come  and  be  saved, 
and  the  salvation  which  redeems 
such  sinners  from  eternal  ruin  is 
great.  (3.)  It  is  great  because  it 
saves  from  great  flangers.  The  dan- 
ger of  an  eternal  hell  besets  the  path 
of  each  one.  All  do  not  see  it;  and 
all  will  not  believe  it  when  told  of  it' 
But  this  danger  hovers  over  the  path 
of  every  mortal.     The  danger  of  an 


A.  D.  Gl.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


55' 


4  God" 


also 

I  Ac.  14.3 


bearing 


them 


eternal  hell !  Salvation  from  ever- 
lasting burnings !  Deliverance  from 
unending  ruin  !  Surely  that  salvation 
must  be  great  which  shall  save  from 
such  a  doom  !  If  that  salvation  is 
neglected,  that  danger  still  hangs  over 
each  and  every  man.  The  gospel  did 
not  create  that  danger  —  it  came  to 
deliver  from  it.  Whether  the  gospel 
be  true  or  false,  each  man  is  by  nature 
exposed  to  eternal  death — just  as  each 
one  is  exposed  to  temportil  death 
whether  the  doctrine  of  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul  and  of  the  resurrec- 
tion be  true  or  false.  The  gospel 
comes  to  provide  a  remedy  for  dan- 
gers and  woes  —  it  does  not  create 
them ;  it  comes  to  deliver  men  from 
great  dangers — not  to  plunge  them 
into  them.  Back  of  the  gospel,  and  be- 
fore it  was  preached  at  all,  men  were 
in  danger  of  everlasting  punishment, 
and  that  system  which  came  to  pro- 
claim deliverance  from  such  a  danger, 
is  great.  (4.)  The  salvation  itself  is 
great  in  heaven.  It  exalts  men  to  infi- 
nite honours,  and  places  on  their 
heads  an  eternal  crown.  Heaven 
with  all  its  glories  is  offered  to  us ; 
and  such  a  deliverance,  and  such  an 
elevation  to  eternal  honours,  deserves 
to  be  called  great.  If  that  is  neg- 
lected, there  is  no  other  salvation  ; 
and  man  must  be  inevitably  de- 
stroyed. (5.)  It  is  great  because  it 
was  elFected  by  infinite  displays  of 
power,  and  wisdom,  and  love.  It 
was  procured  by  the  incarnation  and 
humiliation  of  the  Son  of  God.  It 
was  accomplished  amidst  great  suf- 
ferings and  self-denials.  It  was  at- 
tended with  great  miracles.  The 
tempest  was  stilled,  and  the  deaf 
were  made  to  hear,  and  the  blind  to 
^  see,  and  the  dead  were  raised,  and 
the  siui  was  darkened,  and  the  rocks 
were  rent.  The  whole  series  of  won- 
ders connected  with  the  incarnation 
ind  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  was 
^uch  as  the  world  had  not  elsewhere 
seen,  and  such  as  was  fitted  to  hold 
the   race   in   mute    admiration    and 


witness,  both    with   signs    and 
wonders,  and  with    divers   mi- 


astonishment.  If  this  be  so,  then  re- 
ligion is  no  trifle.  It  is  not  a  matter 
of  little  importance  whether  we  em- 
brace it  or  not.  It  is  the  most  mo- 
mentous of  all  the  concerns  that  per- 
tain to  man ;  and  has  a  claim  on  his 
attention  which  nothing  else  can 
have.  Yet  the  mass  of  men  live  in 
the  neglect  of  it.  It  is  not  that  tliey 
are  professedly  Atheists,  or  Deists, 
or  that  they  are  immoral  or  profane ; 
it  is  not  that  they  oppose  it,  and  ridi- 
cule it,  and  despise  it ;  it  is  that  they 
simply  neglect  it.  They  pass  it  by. 
They  attend  to  other  things.  They 
are  busy  with  their  pleasures,  or  in 
their  counting-houses,  in  their  work- 
shops,  or  on  their  farms;  they  are 
engaged  in  politics,  or  in  book- 
making,  and  they  neglect  religion 
NOW  as  a  thing  of  small  importance 
— proposing  to  attend  to  it  hereafter, 
as  if  they  acted  on  the  principle  that 
everything  else  was  to  be  attended  to 
before  religion.  IT  Which  at  thejirst. 
Gr.  Which  received  the  beginning 
of  being  spoken.  The  meaning  is 
correctly  expressed  in  our  transla- 
tion. Christ  began  to  preach  the 
gospel ;  the  apostles  followed  him. 
John  prepared  the  way  ;  but  the  Sa^ 
viour  was  properly  the  first  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  If  By  the  Lord.  By 
the  Lord  Jesus.  See  Notes  on  Acts 
i.  24.  ^  And  was  confirmed  unto  us, 
&c.  They  who  heard  h  ni  preach, 
that  is,  the  apostles,  were  witnesses 
of  what  he  said,  and  certified  us  of 
its  truth.  When  the  apostle  here  says 
"  MS,"  he  means  the  church  at  large. 
Christians  were  assured  of  the  truth 
of  what  the  Lord  Jesus  spake  by 
the  testimony  of  the  apostles  ;  or  the 
apostles  conmiunicated  it  to  those 
who  had  not  heard  him  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  leave  no  room  for 
doubt. 

4.  God  also  bearing  them  witness. 
By  miracles.     Giving  them  the  sanc- 
tion of  his  authority,  or  showing  that 
they   were   sent   by  him.     No   man 
,  can   work   a  miracle    by    his    own 


56 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


racles,  and  '  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  according  to  his  own 
will. 

1  or,  distributiona. 


power.  When  the  dead  are  raised, 
the  deaf  made  to  hear  and  the  blind 
to  see  by  a  word,  it  is  tiie  power  of 
God  alone  that  does  it.  He  thus  be- 
comes a  witness  to  the  divine  ap- 
pointment of  him  by  whose  instru- 
mentality the  miracle  is  wroug-lit ; 
or  furnishes  an  attestation  that  what 
he  says  is  true.  See  Notes  on  Acts 
xiv.  3.  ^  With  signs  and  wonders. 
These  words  are  usually  connected 
in  the  New  Testament.  The  word 
rendered  signs — armhov — means  any 
miraculous  event  that  is  fitted  to 
show  that  what  had  been  predicted 
by  a  propliet  would  certainly  take 
place.  See  Matt.  xii.  38.  Comp. 
Note  on  Isa.  vii.  11.  A  wonder  — 
rt'pas — denotes  a  portent,  or  prodigy 
— sometliing  that  is  fitted  to  excite 
wonder  or  amazement — and  hence 
a  miracle.  The  words  togetlier  re- 
fer to  the  various  miracles  which 
were  performed  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  his  apostles,  designed  to  con- 
firm the  truth  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion. IT  And  with  divers  miracles. 
Various  miracles,  such  as  healing  the 
sick,  raising  the  dead,  &c.  The  mi- 
racles were  not  of  one  class  merely, 
but  were  various,  so  that  all  pretence 
of  deception  should  be  taken  away. 
IT  And  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Marg. 
Distributions.  The  various  influen- 
ces of  the  Holy  Spirit  enabling  them 
to  speak  dift'crent  languages,  and  to 
perform  works  bej^ond  the  power  of 
man.  See  Notes  on  I.  Cor.  xii.  4 — 11. 
T  According  to  his  will.  As  he 
chose.  He  acted  as  a  sovereign  in 
this.  He  gave  them  where  he  pleased, 
and  imparted  them  in  such  measure 
as  he  chose.  The  sense  of  this  whole 
passage  is,  '  The  gospel  has  been 
promulgated  to  man  in  a  solemn 
manner.  It  was  first  published  by 
the  Lord  of  glory  himself.  It  was 
confirmed  by  the  most  impressive  and 
solemn  miracles.     It  is  undoubtedly 


5  For  unto  the  angels  hath 
he  not   put    in    subjection  the 


world    to 
speak. 


come,   whereof    we 


a  revelation  from  heaven ;  was  given 
in  more  solemn  circumstances  than 
the  law  of  Moses,  and  its  threatenings 
are  more  to  be  dreaded  than  those  of 
the  law.  Beware,  therefore,  how  you 
trifle  with  it,  or  disregard  it.  It  can- 
not  be  neglected  witli  safety;  its 
neglect  or  rejection  must  be  attended 
with  condemnation.' 

5.  For  unto  the  angels  hath  he  not 
put  in  subjection.  In  this  verse  the 
apostle  returns  to  the  subject  which 
lie  had  been  discussing  iri  ch,  i. — 
the  superiority  of  the  Messiah  to  the 
angels.  From  that  subject  he  had 
been  diverted  (eh.  ii.  1 — 4),  by  show- 
ing them  what  must  be  the  conse- 
quences of  defection  from  Christi- 
anit}',  and  the  danger  of  neglecting  it. 
Having  shown  that,  he  now  proceeds 
with  the  discussion,  and  shows  that 
an  honour  had  been  conferred  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  which  had  never  been  be- 
stowed on  tlie  angels — to  wit,  the  su- 
premacy over  this  world.  This  he 
does  by  proving  from  the  Old  Tes- 
tament that  such  a  dominion  was 
given  to  man  (vs.  6 — 8),  and  that  thia 
dominion  was  in  fact  exercised  by 
the  Lord  Jesus.  Ver.  9.  At  the 
same  time,  he  meets  an  objection 
which  a  Jew  would  be  likely  to 
make.  It  is,  that  Jesus  appeared  to 
be  far  inferior  to  the  angels.  He 
was  a  man  of  a  humble  condition. 
He  was  poor,  and  despised.  He  had 
none  of  the  external  honour  wliich 
was  shown  to  i\Ioses — the  founder  of 
the  Jewish  economy  ;  none  of  the 
apparent  honour  which  belonged  to 
angelic  beings.  This  implied  objec- 
tion he  removes  by  sliowing  the  rea- 
son why  he  became  so.  It  was  proper, 
since  he  came  to  redeem  man,  that 
he  should  be  a  man,  and  not  take  on 
himself  the  nature  of  angels  ;  and  for 
the  same  reason  it  was  projjcr  that< 
he  sliould  be  subjected  to  sufferings, 
and  be  made  a  man  of  sorrows.     Vs. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


Bft 


6  But  one  in  a  certain  place 
testified,  saying,  '  What  is  man, 

a  Vs.  8.  4,  &.C.. 

10 — 17,  The  remark  of  the  apostle 
in  the  verse  before  us  is,  that  God 
had  never  put  the  world  in  subjection 
to  the  angels  as  he  had  to  the  Lord 
Jesus.  They  had  no  jurisdiction 
over  it ;  they  were  mere  ministering- 
spirits ;  but  the  world  had  been  put 
under  the  dominion  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus. If  The  tcorld  to  come.  The 
word  here  rendered  world  —  o'lKov^ivfi 
—  means  properly  the  inhabited,  or 
inhabitable  world.  See  Matt.  xxiv.  14. 
Luke  ii.  1 ;  iv.  5 ;  xxi.  26.  (Gr.)  Acts 
xi.  128 ;  xvii.  6.  31 ;  xix.  27 ;  xxiv.  5. 
Rom.  X.  18.  Heb.  i.  6.  Rev.  iii.  10; 
xii.  9  ;  xvi.  14  —  in  all  which  places, 
but  one,  it  is  rendered  world.  It 
occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. The  proper  meaning  is  the 
world  or  earth  considered  as  inha- 
bitable—  and  here  the  jurisdiction 
refers  to  the  control  over  man,  or  the 
dwellers  on  the  earth.  The  phrase 
'the  world  to  come,'  occurs  not  un- 
frequently  in  the  New  Testament. 
Comp.  Eph.  ii.  7.  I.  Cor.  x.  1 1 .  Heb. 
vi.  5.  The  same  phrase  '  the  world 
to  come,' —  n^ri  oSii;  — occurs  often 

in  the  Jewish  writings^  According 
to  Buxtorf  (Lex.  Ch.  Talm.  Rah.)  it 
means,  as  some  suppose,  '  the  world 
which  is  to  exist  after  this  world  is 
destroyed,  and  after  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  when  souls  shall  be  again 
united  to  their  bodies.'  By  others  it 
is  supposed  to  mean  '  the  days  of  the 
Messiah,  when  he  shall  reign  on  the 
earth.'  To  me  it  seems  to  be  clear 
that  the  phrase  here  means,  the  world 
under  the  Messiah — the  world,  age,  or 
dispensation  which  was  to  succeed 
the  Jewish,  and  which  was  familiarly 
'  known  to  them  as  '  the  world  to 
come ;'  and  the  idea  is,  that  that 
world,  or  age,  was  placed  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Christ,  and  not 
of  the  angels.  This  point  the  apostle 
proceeds  to  make  out.  Comp.  Notes 
on  Isa.  ii.  2.  IT  Whereof  we  speak. 
'Of  v.liich  I  am  writing;'  that  is,  of 


that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ? 
or  the  son  of  man,  that  thou 
visitest  him? 


the  Christian  religion,  or  the  reign 
of  the  Messiah. 

6.  But  one  iv  a  certain  place  testi. 
Jied.  Tlie  apostle  was  writing  to 
those  who  were  supposed  to  be  fami- 
liar with  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  and 
where  it  would  be  necessary  only  to 
make  a  reference  in  general  without 
mentioning  the  name.  The  place 
which  is  quoted  here  is  Ps.  viii.  4 — 6. 
The  argument  of  the  apostle  is  this, 
that  there  stood  in  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures a  declaration  that  'all  things 
were  placed  under  the  control  and 
jurisdiction  of  man,'  but  that  that  had 
not  yet  been  accomplished.  It  was 
not  true  (ver.  8)  that  all  things  were 
subject  to  him,  and  the  complete  truth 
of  that  declaration  would  be  found 
only  in  the  jurisdiction  conferred  on 
the  Messiah  —  the  man  by  way  of 
eminence — the  incarnate  Son  of  God. 
It  would  not  occur  to  any  one  pro- 
bably in  reading  the.  Psalm  that  the 
verse  here  quoted  had  any  reference 
to  the  Messiah.  It  seems  to  relate  to 
the  dominion  which  God  had  given 
man  over  his  works  in  this  lower 
world,  or  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
made  lord  over  all  things.  That  do- 
minion is  apparent,  to  a  considerable 
extent,  everywhere,  and  is  a  standing 
proof  of  the  truth  of  what  is  recorded 
in  Gen.  i.  26,  that  God  originally 
gave  dominion  to  man  over  the  crea- 
tures on  earth,  since  it  is  only  by 
this  supposition  that  it  can  be  ac- 
counted for  that  the  horse,  and  the 
elephant,  and  the  ox,  and  even  the 
panther  and  the  lion,  are  subject  to 
the  control  of  man.  The  argument 
of  Paul  seems  to  be  this.  '  Originally 
this  control  was  given  to  man.  It 
was  absolute  and  entire.  AH  things 
were  subject  to  him,  and  all  obeyed. 
Man  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels,  and  was  the  undisputed  lord 
of  this  lower  world.  He  was  in  a 
state  of  innocence.  But  he  rebelled, 
and  this  dominion  has  been  in  some 
measure  lost.     It  is  foimd  complete 


53 


IIKBREWS. 


[A.  D.  r,4. 


only  in  the  second  man,  the.  lord  from 
heaven  (I.  Cor.  xv.  47),  tlic  Lord  Jesus 
to  wlioiu  this  control  is  absolutely 
given.  Ho  conies  up  to  tiic  complete 
idea  of  man — man  as  he  was  in  in- 
nocence, and  man  as  he  was  described 
by  the  Fsaiinist,  as  having  been  made 
a  little  lower  tli.in  the  angels,  and 
having  entire  dominion  over  the 
world.'  Mucli  diliiculty  has  been 
felt  by  commentators  in  regard  to 
this  passage,  and  to  tiie  principle  on 
whicli  it  is  quoted.  The  above  seems 
to  mc  to  be  that  whicli  is  most  pro- 
bably true.  There  arc  two  otiicr 
methods  by  which  an  attempt  lias 
been  made  to  explain  it.  One  is,  that 
Paul  uses  the  words  here  by  way 
of  allusion,  or  accommodalion  (Dod- 
dridge), as  words  that  will  express  his 
meaning,  witliout  designing  to  say 
that  the  Psahn  originally  had  any 
reference  to  the  Messiah.  Most  of 
\jae  later  commentators  accord  with 
this  opinion.  The  other  opinion  is, 
that  David  originally  referred  to  the 
INIessiah — that  he  was  deeply  and 
gratefully  affected  in  view  of  the  ho- 
nour that  God  had  conferred  on  liim  ; 
and  that  in  looking  down  by  faith  on 
the  posterity  that  God  had  promised 
him  (see  II.  Sam.  vii.  14),  he  saw 
one  among  his  own  descendants  to 
whom  God  would  give  this  wide  do- 
minion, and  expresses  himself  in  the 
elevated  language  of  praise.  This 
opinion  is  detcnded  by  Prof.  Stuart. 
See  his  Com.  on  the  Hebrews,  Ex- 
cursus IX.  IT  What  is  man,  &,c. 
What  is  there  in  man  that  entitles 
him  to  so  much  notice  ?  Why  has 
God  conferred  on  him  so  signal  ho- 
nours ?  Why  lias  he  placed  him  over 
the  works  of  his  hands  ?  He  seems 
so  insignificant ;  his  life  is  so  much 
like  a  vapour  ;  he  so  soon  disappears, 
that  the  question  may  well  be  aslced 
why  this  extraordinary  dominion  is 
given  him  ?  He  is  so  sinful  also, 
and  so  unworthy ;  so  mueli  unlike 
God,  and  so  passionate  and  revenge- 
ful ;  is  so  prone  to  abuse  his  domi- 
nion, that  it  may  well  be  nsked  wliy 
God  has  given  it  to  him  ?  Who 
would  suppose  that  (Jod  would  give 


such  a  dominion  over  his  creatures 
to  one  who  was  so  prone  to  abuse  it 
as  man  has  shown  himself  to  be  ? 
He  is  so  feeble,  also,  compared  with 
other  creatures — even  of  those  which 
are  made  subject  to  him  —  that  tlio 
question  may  well  be  asked  why  God 
has  conceded  it  to  him  ?  Such  ques- 
tions may  be  asked  when  we  contem- 
plate man  as  he  is.  But  similar  ques- 
tions may  be  asked,  if,  as  was  pro- 
bably the  case,  the  Psalm  here  be 
supposed  to  have  had  reference  to 
man  as  he  was  created.  Why  was 
one  so  feeble,  and  so  comparatively 
without  strength,  placed  over  thia 
lower  world,  and  the  earth  made 
subject  to  his  control  ?  Why  is  it 
that  when  the  heavens  are  so  vast 
and  glorious  (Ps.  viii.  3),  God  has 
taken  such  notice  of  man  ?  Of  what 
consequence  can  he  be  amidst  works 
so  wonderful  ?  '  When  I"  look  on  the 
heavens  and  survey  their  greatness 
and  their  glory,'  is  the  sentiment  of 
David,  '  why  is  it  that  man  has  at- 
tracted  so  much  notice,  and  that  he 
has  not  been  wholly  overlooked  in 
the  vastness  of  the  works  of  the  AU 
miglity  ?  Wliy  is  it  tliat  instead  of 
this  he  has  been  exalted  to  so  much 
dignity  and  honour  V  This  question, 
thus  considered,  strikes  us  with  more 
force  now  than  it  could  have  struck 
David.  Let  any  one  sit  down  and 
contemplate  the  heavens  as  they  are 
disclosed  by  the  discoveries  of  modern 
astronomy,  and  he  may  well  ask  tlic 
question, '  What  is  man  that  he  should 
have  attracted  the  attention  of  God, 
and  been  the  object  of  so  much  care  ?' 
The  same  question  would  not  have 
been  inappropriate  to  David  if  the 
Psalm  be  supposed  to  have  had  refer- 
ence originally  to  the  Messiah,  and 
if  he  was  speaking  of  liiinself  particu- 
larly as  the  ancestor  of  the  Messiah. 
'  Wliat  is  man ;  what  am  I ;  what 
can  any  of  my  descendants  be,  who 
must  be  of  mortal  fran^c,  that  tliis 
dominion  should  be  given  him  ?  Why 
should  any  one  of  a  race  so  feeble,  so 
ignorant,  so  imperfect,  be  exalted  ta 
such  honour  ?'  We  may  ask  the 
question  here,  and  it  may  be  asked 


>    D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


59 


7  Thou  madest  him '  a  little 
lower   than    the    angels ;    thou 

1  a  little  while  ivferier  to. 

in  heaven  with  pertinency  and  with 
power,  '  Why  was  7nan  so  honoured 
as    to   be    united   to    the    Godhead  ? 
Why  did    the    Deity  appear   in  the 
human  form  ?     What  was    there  in 
man  tliat  should  entitle  him  to  this 
lionour  of  being  united  to  the  Divinity, 
and  of  being  tims  exalted  above  the 
angels  ?'      The   wonder    is   not    yet 
solved ;    and    we    may  well    suppose 
that   the    angelic    ranks    look    with 
amazement — but   without   envy — on 
the  fact  that  man,  by  his  union  with 
the  Deity  in  the  person  of  the  Lord 
-  Jesus,  has  been  raised  above  them  in 
rank  and  in  glory.     If  Or  the  son  of 
man.     This  phrase  means  the  same 
as  man,  and  is  used  merely  to  give 
variety   to  the    mode  of  expression. 
Such  a  change  or  variety  in  words 
and  phrases,  when  the  same  thing  is 
intended,  occurs    constantly  in    He- 
brew poetry.  The  name  'son  of  man' 
is  often  given  to  Christ  to  denote  his 
intimate    connexion   with    our    race, 
and  the  interest  which  he  felt  in  us, 
and  is  the  common  term  which  the 
Saviour  uses  when  speaking  of  him- 
self.    Here  it  means  man,  and  may 
be  applied  to  human    nature   every- 
where— and  therefore  to  human  na- 
ture in  the  person  of  the    Messiah. 
IT  That  thou  visitest  him.     Tliat  tliou 
shouldst   regard    him,   or  treat   him 
with  so  much  honour.     Why  is  he 
the  object  of  so  much  interest  to  the 
divine  mind  ? 

7.  Thou  madest  him  a  little  lower 
than  the  angels.  Marg.  A  Utile  while 
inferior  to.  The  Greek  may  here 
mean  a  little  inferior  in  rank,  or  in- 
ferior for  a  little  time.  But  the  pro- 
#  bable  meaning  is,  that  it  refers  to 
inferiority  of  rank.  Such  is  its  ob- 
vious sense  in  Ps.  viii.,  from  which 
this  is  quoted.  The  meaning  is,  that 
God  had  made  man  but  little  inlerior 
to  the  angels  in  rank.  He  was  inte- 
rior, but  still  God  had  exalted  him 
almost  to  their  rank.     Feeble,  and 


crownedst  him  with  glory  and 
honour,  and  didst  set  hun  over 
the  works  of  thy  hands  : 

weak,  and  dying  as  he  was,  God  had 
exalted  him,  and  had  given  him  a 
dominion  and  a  rank  almost  like  that 
of  the  angels.  The  wonder  of  the 
Psalmist  is,  that  God  had  given  to 
human  nature  so  much  honour  —  a 
wonder  that  is  not  at  all  diminished 
when  we  think  of  the  honour  done  to 
man  by  his  connexion  with  the  divine 
nature  in  the  person  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus. If  in  contemplating  the  race  as' 
it  appears ;  if  when  we  look  at  the 
dominion  of  man  over  the  lower 
world,  we  are  amazed  that  God  has 
bestowed  so  mucli  honour  on  our  na. 
ture,  how  much  more  should  we  won- 
der that  he  has  honoured  man  by  his 
connexion  with  the  divinity.  Paul 
applies  this  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  His 
object  is  to  show  that  he  is  superior 
to  the  angels.  In  doing  this  he  shows 
that  he  had  a  nature  given  him  in  it- 
self but  little  inferior  to  the  angels, 
and  then  that  that  had  been  exalted 
to  a  rank  and  dominion  far  above 
theirs.  That  such  honour  should  be 
put  on  man  is  what  is  fitted  to  excite 
amazement,  anti  well  may  one  con- 
tinue to  ask  why  it  has  been  done  ? 
When  we  survey  the  heavens,  and 
contemplate  their  glories,  and  think 
of  the  exalted  rank  of  other  beings, 
we  may  well  inquire  why  has  such 
honour  been  conferred  on  man? 
11  Thou  crownedst  him  with  glory  and 
honour.  Tiiat  is,  with  exalted  honour. 
Glory  and  honour  here  are  nearly 
synonymous.  The  meaning  is,  that 
elevated  honour  had  been  conferred 
on  human  nature.  A  most  exalted 
and  extended  dominion  had  been 
given  to  man,  which  showed  that  God 
had  greatly  honoured  him.  This 
appeared  eminently  in  the  person  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  "  the  exalted  Man," 
to  whom  this  dominion  was  given  in 
the  widest  extent.  IT  And  didst  set 
him  over,  &c.  Man  has  been  placed 
over  the  other  works  of  God  (1)  by 
the  original  appointment  (Gen.  i.  36) ; 


60 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


8  Thou  hast  put  all  things 
in  subjection  under  his  feet. 
For  in  that  he  put  all  in  subjec- 
tion under  him,  he  left  nothing 


a  1  Co.  15.  24. 


(2)  man  at  large— though  fallen,  sin- 
ful,  feeble,  dying  ;  (3)  man,  eminently 
in  the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in 
whom  human  nature  has  received  its 
chief  e.xaltation.  TJiis  is  what  is 
particularly  in  the  eye  of  the  apostle 
— and  the  language  of  the  Psalm  will 
accurately  e.xpress  this  exaltation. 

8.  Tfiou  hasl  -put  all  things  in  sub- 
jection, &e.  Ps.  viii.  6.  Tliat  is,  all 
things  are  put  under  the  control  of 
man,  or  thou  hast  given  him  domi- 
nion over  all  things.  IT  For  in  that 
he  put  all  in  subjection.  The  mean- 
ing of  this  is,  that  'the /air  interpre- 
tation of  the  passage  in  the  Psalm  is, 
that  the  dominion  of  man,  or  of  hu- 
man nature  over  the  earth,  was  to  be 
absolute  and  total.  Nothing  was  to 
be  excepted.  But  this  is  not  now  the 
fact  in  regard  to  man  in  general,  and 
can  be  true  only  of  human  nature  in 
the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  There 
the  dominion  is  absolute  and  univer- 
sal.'  The  point  of  the  argument  of 
the  apostle  may  be  this.  '  It  was  the 
original  appointment  (Gen.  i.  26)  that 
man  should  have  dominion  over  this 
lower  world,  and  be  its  absolute  lord 
and  sovereign.  Had  he  continued  in 
innocence,  this  dominion  would  have 
been  entire  and  perpetual.  But  he 
fell,  and  we  do  not  now  see  him  ex- 
erting this  dominion.  Wliat  is  said 
of  the  dominion  of  man  can  be  true 
only  of  human  nature  in  the  person 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  there  it  is 
completely  fulfilled.'  IT  But  now  we 
see  not  yet  all  things  put  under  him. 
That  is,  '  It  is  not  now  true  that  all 
things  are  subject  to  the  control  of 
man.  There  is  indeed  a  general  do- 
minion over  the  works  of  God,  and 
over  the  inferior  creation.  But  the 
control  is  not  universal.  A  large 
part  of  the  animal  creation  rebels, 
and  is  brought  into  subjection  only 
with    difficulty,     The    elements    are 


that  is  not  put  under  him. 
But"  now  we  see  not  yet  all 
things  put  under  him. 

9  But   we   see  Jesus,  who' 

4  Ph.  2.  8,  9. 


not  entirely  under  his  control;  the 
tempest  and  the  ocean  rage;  the 
pestilence  conveys  death  through 
city  and  hamlet ;  the  dominion  of 
man  is  a  broken  dominion.  Plis 
government  is  an  imperfect  govern- 
ment. The  world  is  not  yet  put 
wholly  under  his  dominion,  but 
enough  has  been  done  to  constitute 
a  pledge  that  it  will  yet  be  done.  It 
will  be  fully  accomplished  only  in 
him  who  sustains  our  nature,  and  to 
whom  dominion  is  given  over  the 
worlds.' 

9.  But  we  see  Jesus.  '  We  do  not 
see  that  man  elsewhere  has  the  ex- 
tended  dominion  of  which  the  Psalm- 
ist  speaks.  But  we  see  the  fulfilment 
of  it  in  Jesus,  who  was  crowned  with 
glory  and  honour,  and  who  has  re. 
ceived  a  dominion  that  is  superior  to 
that  orthe  angels.'  Tlie  point  of  this 
is,  not  that  he  suffered,  and  not  that 
he  tasted  death  for  every  man ;  but 
that  on  account  of  this,  or  as  a  re- 
ward for  thus  sulfering,  he  was 
crowned  with  glory  and  Jionour,  and 
that  he  thus  fulfilled  all  that  David 
(Ps.  viii.)  had  said  of  the  dignity  and 
honour  of  man.  Tlie  object  of  the 
apostle  is,  to  show  that  he  was  ex. 
ailed,  and  in  order  to  this  he  shows 
why  it  was — to  wit,  because  he  had 
suffered  death  to  redeem  man.  Comp. 
Phil.  ii.  8,  9.  11^  Who  urns  made  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels.  That  is, 
as  a  man,  or  when  on  earth.  His 
assumed  rank  was  inferior  to  that  of 
the  angels.  He  took  upon  himself 
not  the  nature  of  angels  (vcr.  16),  but 
the  nature  of  man.  The  apostle  is 
probably  here  answering  some  im- 
plied objections  to  the  rank  which  it 
was  claimed  that  the  Lord  Jesus  had, 
or  which  might  be  urged  to  the  views 
which  he  was  defending.  Those  ob- 
jections were  mainly  two.  First,' 
that  Jesus  was  a  man  ;  and  secondly 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


61 


was  made  a  little  lower  than 
the  angels, '  for  the  suffering 
of  death,  crowned"  with  glory 


1  or,  by. 


a  Ac.  2.  33. 


and  honour ;  that  he  *  by  the 
grace  of  God  should  taste  death 
for  every  man. 


b  Jno.  3.  16. 


that  he    suffered  and  died.     If  that 
was  the  fact,  it  was  natural  to'  ask 
iiow  he  could  be  superior  to  the  an- 
gels ?     How  could  he  have  had  the 
rank  which  was    claimed    for  him  ? 
This  he  answers    by  showing   first, 
Ihat  his  condition  as  a  man  was  vo- 
luntarily   assumed  —  'he    was   made 
lower  than  the  angels  ;'  and  secondly, 
by  showing  that  as  a  consequence  of 
Ills  sufferings  and  death,  he  was  im- 
mediately  crowned  with   glory  and 
honour.     This    state  of  humiliation 
became  him  in  the  great  work  which 
he  had  undertaken,  and  he  was  im- 
mediately exalted  to  universal  domi- 
nion, and  as  Mediator  was  raised  to 
II  rank  far  above  the  angels.     If  For 
the  suffering  of  death.     Marg.     By. 
The  meaning  of  the  preposition  here 
rendered  '  lor'    (iia,    here    governing 
Ihe    accusative)  is,  '  on  account  of;' 
that  is,  Jesus  on  account  of  the  suf- 
ferings of  death,  or  in  virtue  of  that, 
was  crowned  with  glory  and  honour. 
His  crowning  was  the  result  of  his 
condescension    and    sufferings.     See 
Notes  Phil.  ii.  8,  9.     It  does  not  here 
mean,  as  our  translation  would  seem 
to  imply,  that  he  was  made  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels  in  order  to  suf- 
fer death,  but  tliat  as  a  reward  tor 
having  suffered  death  he  was  raised 
up  to  the  right  hand  of  God.  ^  Crown- 
ed toith  glory  and  honour.     That  is, 
at  the  right  hand  of  God.     He  was 
raised    up    to    heaven.     Acts  ii.  33 ; 
Mark  xvi.  19.     The  meaning  is,  that 
he  was  crowned  with  the  highest  ho- 
nour on   account  of  his    sufferings. 
Comp.  Phil.  ii.  8, 9 ;  Hcb.  xii.  2 ;  v.  7—9  ; 
^    Ephi.20— 23.    IT  That  he.  Or  rather, 
''since  he  by  the  grace  of  God  tasted 
death  for  every  man.'     The  sense  is, 
that  after  he  had  thus  tasted  death, 
and  as  a  consequence  of  it,  he  was 
thus  exalted.  The  word  here  rendered 
"that"  —  3ir(oj  —  means    usually    and 
properly  that,  so  that,  in  order  that,  to 


the   end  that,  &c.     But  it  may  also 
mediXi  when,  after  that,  after.  See  Notes 
on  Acts  iii.  19.     This  is  the  interpre- 
tation which  is  given  by  Prof  Stuart 
{in  loc),  and  this  interpretation  seems 
to  be   demanded  by  the   connexion. 
The  general  interpretation  of  the  pas- 
sage has  been  ditfercnt.     According 
to  that,  the  sense  is,  '  We  see  Jesus, 
for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned 
with  glory  and  honour,  so  as  that,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  he  might  taste  of 
death  for  every  man.'    See  Robinson's 
Lex.  on  the  word  onas,  and  Doddridge 
on  the  place.    But  it  is  natural  to  ask 
when  Jesus  was  thus  crowned  with 
glory  and  honour  ?    It  was  not  before 
the  crucifixion — for  he  was  then  poor 
and  despised.     The  connexion  seems 
to  require  us  to  understand  this  of 
the  glory  to  which  he  was  exalted  in 
heaven,  and  this  was  after  his  death, 
and  could   not  be   in  order  that  he 
might  taste  of  death.    I  am  disposed, 
therefore,  to  regard  this  as  teaching 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  exalted  to 
heaven  in  virtue    of  the    atonement 
which  he  had  made,  and  this  accords 
with  Phil.  ii.  8,  9,  and  Heb.  xii.  2.    It 
accords  both  with  the  fact  in  the  case, 
and  with  the  design  of  the  apostle  in 
the   argument  before   us.     ^  By  the 
grace  of  God.    By  the  favour  of  God, 
or  by  his  benevolent  purpose  towards 
men.    It  was  not  by  any  claim  which 
man  had,  but  was  by  his  special  fa- 
vour.    ^  Should  taste  death.     Should 
die  ;  or  should  experience  death.  See 
Matt.  xvi.  28.     Death    seems    to  be 
represented  as  something  bitter  and 
unpalatable  —  something  unpleasant 
— as  an  object  may  be  to  the  taste. 
Or  the  language  may  be  taken  from 
a  cup — since  to  experience  calamity 
and  sorrow  is  oflen   represented   as 
drinking  a  cup  of  woes.     Ps.  xi.  6 ; 
Ixxiii.  10;  Ixxv.  8;  Isa.  Ii.  17;  Matt 
XX.  22 ;  xxvi.  39.     If  For  every  man. 
For  nil — vnip  Travris — for  each  and  all 


oa 


HEBRKWS. 


[A..  D.  C4. 


— wfictncr  Jew  or  Gentile,  bond  or 
free,  higli  or'  low,  elect  or  non-clcct. 
How  could  words  allinn  more  clciirly 
that  the  atoncincnt  made  by  the  Lord 
Jesus  was  unlimited  in  its  nature  and 
design  ?     How  can  we  express  tliat 
idea  in  more  clear  or  intelligible  lan- 
guage ?   That  this  refers  to  the  atone- 
ment is  evident — for  it  says  that  he 
'tasted  death'  for  them.    The  friends 
of  the  doctrine  of  general  atonement 
do  not  desire  any  otlier  tlian  Scripture 
Vinguagc  in  whicli  to  express  their 
belief.    It  expresses  it  exactly — with- 
out any  need  of  modification  or  ex- 
planation.   Tiic  advocates  of  the  doe- 
trine    of    limited    atonement    cannot 
thus   use    Scripture  language  to  ex- 
press their  belief     Tiiey  cannot  in- 
corporate it  with  their  creeds  that  tlie 
Lord  Jesus  'tasted  death  for  every 
MAN.'     They  are  compelled  to  modi- 
fy it,  to  limit  it,  to  explain  it,  in  or- 
ler  to  prevent  error  and  misconcep- 
tion.    But  that  system  cannot  be  true 
which  requires   men   to    shape    and 
Tiodify  the  plain  language  of  the  Bi- 
6le  in  order  to  keep  men  from  error  ! 
Oomp.  Notes  on  H.  Cor.  v.  14,  where 
.  this    point   is    considered   at  length. 
Learn  hence  (vs.  6 — 9),  from  the  in- 
carnation of  the  Son  of  God,  and  his 
ixaltation  to  heaven,  what  an  honour 
has  been  conferred  on  human  nature. 
When  we  look  on  the  weakness  and 
wnfulness  of  our  race,  we  may  well 
isk,  what  is   man  that  God   should 
rton-mr  him  or  regard  him  ?     He  is 
Jihe  creature  of  a  day.     He  is  feeble 
and  dying.    He  is  lost  and  degraded. 
Compared  with  the  universe  at  large, 
he  is  a  speck,  an  atom.    He  has  done 
nothing  to  deserve  the  divine  fivour 
or  notice,  and  when  we  look  at  the 
race  at  large  we  can  do  it  only  with 
«entiments  of  the  deepest  humiliation 
and  mortification.    But  when  we  look 
at  human  nature  in  the  person  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  we  see  it  honoured  there 
to   a  degree    that   is    commensurate 
with  all  our  desires,  and  that  fills  U8 
with  wonder.     We  feci  that  it  is  an 
honour  to  human  nature — that  it  hiis 
done  much  to  elevate  man — wiien  we 
look  on  such  a  man  as  Howard  or 


Washington.     But  how  much  more 

has  tliat  nature  been  honoured  in  the 
person  of  tlie  Lord  Jesus  !  (1.)  What 
an  honour  to  us  itvas  that  he  should 
take  our  nature  into  intimate  union 
with  himself — passing  by  the  angelic 
hosts,  and  becoming  a  man '.  (2.) 
What  an  honour  it  was  that  human 
nature  there  was  so  pure  and  holy ; 
tliat  rjitfJi — everywhere  else  so  degra- 
dod  and  vile — could  be  seen  to  be  no- 
ble, and  pure,  and  godlike !  (3.)  What 
an  honour  it  was  that  the  divinity 
should  speak  to  men  in  connexion 
with  human  nature,  and  perform  such 
wonderful  works — that  the  pure  pre- 
cepts of  religion  should  come  fortii 
from  human  lips — the  great  doctrines 
of  eternal  life  be  uttered  by  a  man, 
and  that  from  human  hands  Rhould 
go  forth  power  to  heal  the  sick'  and 
to  raise  the  dead !  (4.)  What  an  ho- 
nour to  man  it  was  that  the  atone- 
ment for  sin  should  be  made  in  his 
own  nature,  and  that  the  universe 
should  be  attracted  to  that  scene 
where  one  in  our  form,  and  with 
flesh  and  blood  like  our  own,  should 
perform  that  great  work.  (5.)  What 
an  honour  it  is  to  man  that  his 
own  nature  is  exalted  far  above  all 
heavens !  That  one  in  our  form 
sits  ori  the  throne  of  the  universe ! 
That  adoring  angels  fall  prostrate 
before  him !  That  to  him  is  in- 
trusted all  power  in  heaven  and  on 
earth !  (6.)  What  an  honour  to  man 
that  one  in  liis  nature  should  be 
appointed  to  judge  the  worlds  !  That 
one  in  our  own  form,  and  with  a  na- 
ture like  ours,  shall  sit  on  the  throne 
of  judgment  and  pronounce  the  final 
doom  on  angels  and  men !  That  as- 
sembled millions  shall  be  constrained 
to  bow  btf)re  him,  and. receive  their 
eternal  doom  from  his  hands  !  That 
prince  and  potentate — tlio  illustrious 
dead  of  all  past  times,  and  the  mighty 
men  who  are  yet  to  live,  shall  all  ap- 
pear before  him,  and  all  receive  fi-om 
him  there  the  sentence  of  their  final 
destiny  !  I  see,  therefore,  the  most 
honour  done  to  my  nature  as  a  man,^ 
not  in  the  deeds  of  proud  conquerors ; 
not  in  the  lives  of  sages  and  philan 


A.  U.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


(53 


10  For  it  became"  him,  for* 

a  Lu.  04.  26.  46. 

thropists  ;  not  in  those  who  have  car- 
ried their  investigations  farthest  into 
the  obscurities  of  matter  and  of  mind ; 
not  in  the  splendid  orators,  poets,  and 
historians  of  other  times,  or  that  now 
live — much  as  I  may  admire  them, 
or  feel  it  an  honour  to  belong  to  a 
race  which  has  produced  such  illus- 
trious men — but  in  the  fact  that  the 
Son  of  God  has  chosen  a  body  like 
my  own  in  which  to  dwell ;  in  the 
inexpressible  loveliness  evinced  in  his 
pure  morals,  his  benevolence,  his 
blameless  life ;  in  the  great  deeds  that 
he  jjerformed  on  earth ;  in  the  fact 
that  it  was  this  form  that  was  chosen 
in  which  to  make  atonement  for  sin ; 
in  the  honours  that  now  cluster  around 
him  in  heaven,  and  the  glories  that 
shall  attend  him  when  he  shall  come 
to  judge  the  world. 

"  Princes  to  his  imperial  name 
Bend  tlieir  briglit  sct'ptre.s  down  ; 
Doniiiiinns,  thrones,  and  powers  rejoice, 
To  see  him  wear  the  crown. 

"  Archangels  sound  his  lofty  praise 
Through  every  heavenly  street ; 
And  lay  their  hishest  lionours  down. 
Submissive  at  his  feet. 

"  Those  soft,  those  blessed  feet  of  his, 
That  once  rude  iron  tore — 
High  on  a  throne  of  light  they  stand, 
And  all  the  saints  adore. 

"  flis  head,  the  dear,  majestic  head, 
That  cruel  thorns  did  wound — 
See — what  immortal  glories  shine, 
And  circle  it  around  I 

"This  is  the  Man,  th'  exalted  Man, 
Whom  we,  un.seen,  adore  ; 
But  when  our  eyes  behold  his  face. 
Our  hearts  shall  love  him  more." 

10.  For  it  became  him.  There  was 
a  fitness  or  propriety  in  it ;  it  was 
such  an  arrangement  as  became  God 
to  make,  in  redeeming  many,  tliat  the 
great  agent  by  whom  it  was  accom- 
plished, should  be  made  complete  in 
all  respects  by  sufferings.  The  apos- 
tle evidently  means  by  this  to  meet 
an  objection  that  might  be  offered  by 
a  Jew  to  the  doctrine  which  he  had 
been  stating  —  an  objection  drawn 
from  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  a  man 


whom    are   all  things,  and  by 

b  Ro.  n.  36. 


of  sorrows,  and  that  his  life  was  a  life 
of  affliction.  This  he  meets  by  stat- 
ing that  there  was  a  ^fitness  and  pro. 
priety  in  that  fact.  There  was  a  rea- 
son  for  it — a  reason  drawn  from  the 
plan  and  character  of  God.  It  was 
fit,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  that  he 
should  be  qualified  to  be  a  complete 
or  perfect  Saviour -rn.  Saviour  just 
adapted  to  the  purpose  undertaken, 
by  sufferings.  Tlie  reasons  of  this 
fitness,  the  apostle  docs  not  state. 
The  amount  of  it  probably  was,  that 
it  became  him  as  a  Being  of  infinite 
benevolence ;  as  one  who  wished  to 
provide  a  perfect  system  of  redemp- 
tion,  to  subject  his  Son  to  such  suffer, 
ings  as  should  completely  qualify  him 
to  be  a  Saviour  for  all  men.  This 
subjection  to  his  humble  condition, 
and  to  his  many  woes,  made  him 
such  a  Saviour  as  man  needed,  and 
qualified  him  fully  for  his  work. 
There  was  a  propriety  that  he  who 
should  redeem  the  suffering  and  the 
lost  should  partake  of  their  nature ; 
identify  himself  with  them ;  and 
share  their  woes,  and  the  conse- 
quences of  their  sins.  T  For  whom 
are  all  things.  With  respect  to  whose 
glory  the  whole  universe  was  made  ; 
and  with  respect  to  whom  the  whole 
arrangement  for  salvation  has  been 
formed.  The  phrase  is  synonymous 
with  '  the  Supreme  Ruler ;'  and  the 
idea  is,  that  it  became  the  Sovereign  of 
the  universe  to  provide  aperfect  scheme 
of  salvation — even  though  it  involved 
the  humiliation  and  death  of  his  own 
Son.  IT  And  by  whom  are  all  things. 
By  whose  agency  everything  is  made. 
As  it  was  by  his  agency,  therefore, 
that  the  plan  of  salvation  was  entered 
into,  there  was  a. ^fitness  tliat  it  should 
be  perfect.  It  was  not  the  work  ot 
fate  or  chance,  and  there  was  a  pro- 
priety that  the  whole  plan  should 
bear  the  mark  of  the  infinite  wisdom 
of  its  Author.  IT  In  brincring  many 
S071S  vnto  glory.  To  heaven.  This 
was  the  plan — it  was  to  bring  many 
to   heaven   who   should  be  regarded 


64 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


whom  are  all  things,  in  bring- 
ing many  sons  unto  glory,  to 
make  the  captain  •  of  their  sal- 


vation '  perfect  through  suffer- 
ings. 

als.  55.  4.  &Lu.  13.  32. 


and  treated  as  his  sons.     It  was  not 
a  plan  to  save   a  few  —  but  to  save 
many.  Learn,  liencc,  (1)  tliat  the  plan 
was  full  of  benevolence.     (j2.)  No  re- 
presentation of  the  gospel  should  ever 
be  made  which   will    leave    the  im- 
pression that  a  few  only,  or  a  small 
part  of  the  whole  race,  will  be  saved. 
There    is  no  such  rei)rcsentation  in 
the  Bible,  and  it  should  not  be  made. 
God  intends,  taking  the  whole  race 
together,  to  save  a  large  part  of  the 
human  family.   Few  in  ages  that  are 
past,  it  is  true,  may  have  been  saved ; 
few  now  are  his  friends  and  are  tra- 
velling to  heaven  ;  but  there  arc  to  be 
brighter  days  on  earth.     The  period 
is  to   arrive  when    the   gospel  siiall 
spread    over    all    lands,    and    during 
that  long  period  of  the  millennium, 
innumerable  millions  will  be  brought 
under  its  saving  power,  and   be  ad- 
mitted to  heaven.     All  exhibitions  of 
the  gospel  are  wrong  which  represent 
it  as  narrow  in  its  design  ;  narrow  in 
its   offer ;  and  narrow  in  its  result. 
IT    To  make  the  captain  of  their  salva- 
tion.     The  Lord  Jesus,  who  is  repre- 
sented as   the  leader  or  commander 
of  the  army  of  the  redeemed  —  "the 
sacramental    host   of   God's    elect." 
The  word  '  captain'  we  apply  now  to 
an  inferior  officer  —  the  commander 
of  a    '  company'    of  soldiers.      The 
Greek  word  —  ap^iY'^i — is    a    more 
general  term,  and  denotes,  properly, 
the    author  or  source   of  anything ; 
then  a  leader,  cliief,  prince.     In  Acts 
iii.  15,  it  is  rendered  prince  —  "and 
killed  the  prince  of  life."     So  in  Acts 
V,  3L     "  Him  hath  God  exalted  to  be 
a  prince  and  a  Saviour."     In  Heb. 
xii.  2,  it  is  rendered  author.     "  Jesus, 
the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith." 
Corap.  Notes  on  that  place.     IT  Per- 
fect through  sufferings.  Complete  by 
means  of  sufferings;  that  is,  to  ren- 
der him  wholly  qualified  for  his  work, 
so  that  he  should  be  a  Saviour  just 
adapted  to  redeem  man.     This  does 


not  mean  that  he  was  sinful  before 
and  was  made  holy  by  his  sufferings; 
nor  that  he  was  not  in  all  respects  a 
perfect  man  before;  —  but  it  means, 
that  by  his  sufferings  he  was  made 
wholly  fitted  to  be  a  Saviour  of  men ; 
and  that,  therefore,  the  fact  of  his 
being  a  suffering  man  was  no  evi- 
dence,  as  a  Jew  might  have  urged, 
that  he  was  not  the  Son  of  God. 
There  was  a  completeness,  a  filling 
up,  of  all  which  was  necessary  to  his 
cliaracter  as  a  Saviour,  by  the  suffer- 
ings which  he  endured.  We  are 
made  morally  better  by  alBictions,  if 
we  receive  them  in  a  right  manner — 
for  we  are  sinful,  and  need  to  be  pu- 
rifled  in  the  furnace  of  affliction ; 
Christ  was  not  made  better,  for  he 
was  before  perfectly  holy,  but  he  was 
completely  endowed  for  the  work 
which  he  came  to  do,  by  his  sorrows. 
Nor  docs  this  mean  here  precisely 
that  he  was  exalted  to  heaven  as  a 
reward  for  his  sufferings,  or  that  he 
was  raised  up  to  glory  as  a  conse- 
quence of  them — which  was  true  in 
itself — but  that  he  was  rendered  com- 
plete, or  fully  qualified  to  be  a  Sa- 
viour by  his  sorrows.  He  was  ren- 
dered  thus  complete,  (1)  because  hia 
suffering  in  all  the  forms  that  flesh  is 
liable  to,  made  him  an  example  to  all 
his  people  who  shall  pass  through  tri- 
als. Tiiey  have  before  them  a  perfect 
model  to  show  them  how  to  bear  afflic- 
tions. Had  tills  not  occurred,  he  could 
not  have  been  regarded  as  a  complete 
or  perfect  Saviour — that  is,  such  a  Sa- 
viour as  we  need.  {'2.)  He  is  able  to 
sympathize  with  them,  and  to  suc- 
cour tlicm  in  their  temptations.  Ver. 
18.  (.3.)  By  his  sufferings  an  atone- 
ment was  made  for  sin.  He  would 
have  been  an  imperfect  Saviour — if 
the  name  Saviour  could  have  been 
given  to  him  at  all  —  if  he  had  not 
died  to  make  an  atonement  for  trans.  ■ 
gression.  To  render  him  complete  aa 
a  Saviour,  it  was  necessary  that  ha 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


G5 


11  For  both  he  that  sanctifi- 
eth  and  they  who  are  sanctified 
are  all "  of  one  :  for  which  cause 


should  suffer  and  die  ;  and  when  he 
hung  on  the  cross  in  the  agonies  of 
death,  he  could  appropriately  say,  'it 
is  finished.  The  work  is  complete. 
All  has  been  done  that  could  be  re- 
quired to  be  done ;  and  man  may 
now  have  the  assurance  tliat  he  has 
a  perfect  Saviour  —  perfect  not  only 
in  moral  character,  but  perfect  in  his 
work,  and  in  his  adaptedness  to  tlie 
condition  of  men.'  Comp.  ch.  v.  8,  9. 
Note  on  Luke  xiii.  32. 

11.  For  both  he  that  sanctifieth. 
This  refers,  evidently,  to  the  Lord 
Jesus.  The  object  is  to  show  that 
there  was  such  a  union  between  him 
and  those  for  whom  he  died,  as  to 
make  it  necessary  that  he  should  par- 
take of  the  same  nature,  or  that  he 
should  be  a  suffering-  man.  Ver.  14. 
He  undertook  to  redeem  and  sanctify 
them.  He  called  them  brethren. 
He  identified  them  with  himself. 
There  was,  in  the  great  work  of  re- 
demption, a  oneness  between  him  and 
them,  and  hence  it  was  necessary 
that  he  should  assume  their  nature — 
and  the  fact,  therefore,  that  he  ap- 
peared as  a  suffering  nxan,  does  not 
at  all  militate  with  the  doctrine  that 
he  had  a  more  exalted  nature,  and 
was  even  above  the  angels.  Prof. 
Stuart  endeavours  to  prove  that  the 
word  sanctify  here  is  used  in  the 
sense  of,  to  make  expiation  or  atone, 
ment,  and  that  the  meaning  is,  "he 
who  maketh  expiation,  and  they  for 
whom  expiation  is  made."  Bloom- 
field  gives  the  same  sense  to  the 
word,  as  also  does  Rosenmiiller. 
That  the  word  may  have  such  a  sig- 
nification it  would  be  presumptuous 
in  any  one  to  doubt,  after  the  view 
which  such  men  have  taken  of  it; 
but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  this 
idea  is  necessary  here.  The  word 
sanctify  is  a  general  term,  meaning 
to  make  holy  or  pure  ;  to  consecrate, 
Bet  apart,  devote  to  God;  to  regard 
as  holy,  or  to  hallow.  Applied  to  the 
6* 


he  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them 
brethren  ,• 

a  Jno.  17.  21. 


Saviour  here,  it  may  be  used  in  thia 
general  sense — that  he  consecrated 
or  devoted  himself  to  God — as  emi- 
nently  the  consecrated  or  holy  one — 
the  Messiah  (comp.  Note  on  John 
xvii.  19) :  applied  to  his  people,  it 
may  mean  that  they  in  like  manner 
were  the  consecrated,  the  holy,  the 
pure,  on  earth.  There  is  a  richness 
and  fullness  in  the  word  when  so  un- 
derstood,  which  there  is  not  when  it 
is  limited  to  the  idea  of  expiation ; 
and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  to  be  taken 
in  its  richest  and  fullest  sense,  and 
that  the  meaning  is,  '  the  great  con- 
secrated Messiah — the  Holy  One  of 
God — and  his  consecrated  and  holy 
followers,  are  all  of  one.'  '^  All  of 
one.  Of  one  family;  spirit;  Father; 
nature.  Either  of  these  significations 
will  suit  the  connexion,  and  some 
such  idea  must  be  understood.  The 
meaning  is,  that  they  were  united,  or 
partook  of  something  in  common,  so 
as  to  constitute  a  oneness,  or  a  bro- 
therhood ;  and  that  since  this  was 
the  case,  there  was  a  propriety  in  his 
taking  their  nature.  It  does  not 
mean  that  they  were  originally  of 
one  nature  or  family  ;  but  that  it  was 
understood  in  the  writings  of  the  pro- 
phets that  the  Messiah  should  partake 
of  the  nature  of  his  people,  and  that, 
therefore,  though  he  was  more  exalted 
than  the  angels,  there  was  a  propriety 
that  he  should  appear  in  the  human 
form.  Comp.  John  xvii.  21.  H  For 
vjhich'^ause.  That  is,  because  he  is 
thus  united  with  them,  or  has  un- 
dertaken their  redemption.  IT  He  is 
not  ashamed.  As  it  might  be  sup- 
posed that  one  so  exalted  and  pure 
would  be.  It  might  iiave  been  aiiti- 
cipated  that*  the  Son  of  God  would 
refuse  to  give  the  name  brethren  to 
those  who  were  so  humble,  and 
sunken  and  degraded  as  those  whom 
he  came  to  redeem.  But  he  is  willing 
to  be  ranked  with  them,  and  to  be 
regarded    as    one    of   their    family 


66 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


12  Sayinf^"  I  will  declare  thy 
name  unto  my  brethren  ;  in  the 
a  Po.  aj.  22. 


midst  of  the  church  will  I  sing 
praise  unto  thee. 


t    To   call    them    hrethren.      To  ac- 
knowledge  himself  as  of  the  same 
fainil}',  and  to  speak  of  them  as  his 
brothers.  That  is,  he  is  so  represented 
as  speaking  of  them  in  the  prophecies 
respecting  t/m  Messiah  —  for  this  in- 
terpretation   the    argument    of   tlic 
apostle   demands.     It   was    material 
for  liim  to  show  that  he  was  so  re- 
presented   in    the    Old    Testament. 
This  he  docs  in  the  following  verses. 
12.  Saying.     This  passage  is  found 
in  Ps.  xxii.  2'2.     The  whole  of  that 
Psalm  has  been  commonly  referred 
to   the    Messiah;    and    in  regard  to 
such  a  reference  there   is   less  diiB- 
culty  than  attends  most  of  the  other 
portions  of  the  Old  Testament  that 
are  usually  supposed  to  relate  to  him. 
The   following   verses   of  the  Psalm 
are  applied  to  him,  or  to  transactions 
connected    with    him,    in    the    New 
Testament,    vs.    1.    8.    18 ;    and  the 
whole  Psalm  is  so  strikingly  descrip- 
tive of  his  condition  and  sufferings, 
that  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt 
that  it  had  an  original  reference  to 
him.     There  is  much  in  the  Psalm 
that  cannot  be  well  applied  to  David  ; 
there  is  nothing  which  cannot  be  ap- 
plied to  the  Messiah ;  and  the  proof 
Bcems  to  be  clear  that  Paul  quoted 
this  passage  in  accordance  with  the 
original  sense  of  the    Psalm.      Tlie 
point  of  the  quotation  here  is  not  that 
lie  would  '  declare  the  name'  of  God 
— but  that  he  gave  the  name  brethren 
Jo  those  whom  he  addressed.  ^  /  will 
declare  thy  name.     I  will  make  thee 
Known.     The  word  'name'  is  used, 
IS  it  often  is,  to  denote  God  himself. 
The  meaning  is,  that  it  would  be  a 
part  of  the  Messiah's  work  to  make 
known  to  his  disciples  the  character 
tnd  perfections  of  God-*-or  to  make 
Lhcm  acquainted  with  God.     He  per- 
formed this.     In  his  parting  prayer 
,.Tohn    xvii.    6),    he    saj-^s,   "  I    have 
manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men 
ivhom   thou    gavest    me    out    of  the 
ft'orld."     And  again,  vcr.  26,  "  And 


I  have  declared  unto  them  thy  name, 
and    will    declare    it."      If    Unto  my 
brethren      The    point   of  the  quota- 
tion is  in  this.     He  spoke  of  them 
as   brethren.     Paul  is  sliowing  that 
he    was    not   ashamed  to  call   tlicm 
such.      As    he    was    reasoning   with 
those  who    had    been  Jews,    and    as 
it   was   necessary    as  a  part   of  his 
argument  to  show  that  what  he  main- 
tained   respecting  the    Messiah  was 
found  in  the  Old  Testament,  he  makes 
his  appeal  to  that,  and  shows  that  the 
Redeemer  is  represented  as  address- 
ing his  people  as  brethren.     It  would 
have    been    easy  to  appeal  to  facts, 
and    to    have    shown    that    the    Re- 
deemer   used    that    term    familiarly 
in   addressing    his    disciples,   (comp. 
Matt.  xii.  48, 49  ;  xxv.  40  ;  xxviii.  10  ; 
Luke  viii.  21  ;  John  xx.  17),  but  that 
would  not  have  been  pertinent  to  his 
object.     It  is  full  proof  to  us,  how- 
ever, that  the  prediction  in  the  Psalm 
was  literally  fulfilled.    H  In  the  midst 
of  the  church.     That  is,  in    the   as- 
sembly of  my  brethren.     The  point " 
of  the    proof  urged    by  the    apostle 
lies    in  the  first    part  of  the  quota, 
tion.     Tills  latter  part  seems  to  have 
been    adduced   because  it  might   as- 
sist  their  memory  to  have  the  whole 
verse  quoted  ;  or  because  it  contained 
an    interesting  truth   rcsjx^cting  the 
Redeemer  —  tliough  not  precisely   a 
proof  of  what    he    was    urging ;  or 
because  it  implied  substantially  the 
same    truth  as  the  former  member. 
It  shows  tliat  he  was  united  with  his 
church ;  that  he  was   one    of  them ; 
and  that  he  mingled   with  them  as 
among    brethren.       IT    Will    I    sing 
praise.     That  the  Redeemer  united 
with  his  disciples  in  singing  praise, 
we  may  suppose  to  have  been  in  the 
highest  degree   probable  —  though,  I 
believe,  but  a  single  case  is  mentioned 
—  that  at  tile   close    of  the    Supper 
which  he  instituted  to  commemorate 
ills    death.     Matt.    xxvi.    .30.     This, 
therefore,  proves  what  the  apoatle  in- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  11. 


67 


1 3  And  again, "  I  will  put  my 
trust  in  him.     And  again, ''  Be- 

ffiPs.  18.2.  b  Is.  8.  18. 

tended — that  tlie  Messiali  was  among 
them  as  his  brethren — that  he  spoke 
to  them  as  such  —  and  ming-led 
in  their  devotions  as  one  of  their 
number. 

13.  And  again.  That  is,  it  is  said 
in  another  place,  or  language  is  used 
of  the  Messiah  in  another  place,  indi- 
cating the  confidence  which  lie  put  in 
God,  and  showing  that  he  partook  of 
the  feelings  of  the  children  of  God, 
and  regarded  himself  as  one  of  them. 
^  I  will  put  my  trust  in  him.  I  will 
confide  in  God  ;  implying  (1)  a  sense 
of  dependence  on  God ;  and  (2)  con- 
fidence in  him.  It  is  with  reference 
to  the  former  idea  that  the  apostle 
seems  to  use  it  here — as  denoting  a 
condition  where  there  was  felt  to  be 
need  of  divine  aid.  His  object  is 
to  show  that  he  took  part  with  his 
people,  and  regarded  them  as  brethren 
— and  the  purpose  of  this  quotation 
seems  to  be  to  show  that  he  was  in 
such  a  situation  as  to  make  an  ex- 
pression of  dependence  proper.  He 
was  one  wih  his  people,  and  shared 
their  dependence  and  their  piety  — 
using  language  whicli  showed  that 
he  was  identified  with  them,  and 
could  mingle  with  the  tenderest  sym- 
pathy in  all  their  feelings.  It  is  not 
certain  from  what  place  this  passage 
is  quoted.  In  Psalm  xviii.  3,  and  the 
corresponding  passage  in  II.  Sam. 
xxii.  3,  the  Hebrew  is  "JS-npn^?  —  '  I 

will  trust  in  him  ;'  but  this  Psalm  has 
never  been  regarded  as  having  any 
reference  to  the  Messiah,  even  by  the 
-Jews,  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  it 
Could  be  considered  as  having  any 
relation  to  him.  Most  critics,  there- 
fore, as  Rosenmtiller,  Calvin,  Koppe, 
Bloomficld,  Stuart,  &c.,  regard  the 
passage  as  taken  from  Isa.  viii.  17. 
The  reasons  for  this  are  (1)  thSt  the 
Words  are  the  same  in  the  Septuagint 
as  in  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews ;  (2) 
0  >i  apostle  quotes  the  next  verse  im- 
'  sdiatelv  as  applicable  to  the  Mos- 


hold  I  and  the  children  which* 
God  hath  given  me. 

c  Jno.  17.  6—12. 


siah  ;  (3)  no  other  place  occurs  where 
the  same  expression  is  found.  The 
Hebrew  in  Isa.  viii.  17,  is  "jV^n'^pT 
— '  I  will  wait  for  him,'  or  I  will  trust 
in  him — rendered  by  the  Septuagint 

TTtiTOiSuii    eaofiai    in'    avTM  —  the     same 

phrase  precisely  as  is  used  by  Paul — 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  ho 
meant  to  quote  it  here.  The  sense 
in  Isaiah  is,  that  he  had  closed  his 
message  to  the  people ;  he  had  been 
directed  to  seal  up  tlie  testimony ;  he 
had  exiioi-ted  the  nation  to  repent,  but 
he  had  done  it  in  vain ; — and  iie  had 
now  nothing  to  do  but  to  put  his  trust 
in  the  Lord,  and  commit  the  whole 
cause  to  him.  His  only  hope  was  in 
God;  and  he  calmly  and  confidently 
committed  his  cause  to  him.  Paul  evi- 
dently  designs  to  refer  this  to  the  Mes- 
siah ;  and  the  sense  as  applied  to  him  is, 
'  The  Messiah  in  using  this  language 
expresses  himself  as  a  man.  It  is  men 
who  exercise  dependence  on  God;  and 
by  the  use  of  this  language  he  speaks 
as  one  who  had  the  nature  of  man, 
and  who  expressed  the  feelings  of  the 
pious,  and  showed  that  he  was  one 
of  them,  and  that  he  regarded  them 
as  brethren.'  There  is  not  much  dif- 
ficulty  in  the  argument  of  the  pas- 
sage ;  for  it  is  seen  that  in  such  lan- 
guage he  must  speak  as  a  man,  or  as 
one  haying  human  nature ;  but  the 
main  difficulty  is  on  tlie  question  how 
this  and  the  verse  following  can  be 
applied  to  the  Messiah  ?  In  the  pro- 
phecy, they  seem  to  refer  solely  to 
Isaiah,  and  to  be  expressive  of  his 
feelings  alone — the  feelings  of  a  man 
who  saw  little  encouragement  in  his 
work,  and  who  having  done  all  that 
he  could  do,  at  last  put  his  sole  trust 
in  God.  In  regard  to  this  difficult, 
and  yet  unsettled  question,  tlie  reader 
may  consult  my  Introduction  to  Isa- 
iah, §  7.  The  following  remarks  may 
serve  in  part  to  remove  the  difficulty 
(1.)  The  passage  in  Isaiah  (viii.  17, 
18),  occurs  in  the  midst  of  a  number 


C8 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4 


of  predictions  relating'  to  the  Messiah 
— prcccili'd  and  Ibllowcd  by  passages 
tiiat  had   an    ultiuialc   rclercnce   un- 
doubtedly  to  liini.     See  Isa.  vii.  14  ; 
viii.  8;  ix.  1 — 7,  and  Notes  on  those 
passages.     {'2.)  The  language,  if  used 
of  Isaiah,  wo\ild  as    aecurately  and 
fitly    express    the    feelings    and    the 
condition  of  the  Redeemer.      There 
was  sueh  a  remarkable  similarity  in 
the    cireumstanees    that    the    same 
language  would   express  the    condi- 
tion of  both.    BotK  had  delivered  a  so- 
lemn message  to  men  ;  both  had  eome 
to  exliort  them  to  turn  to  God,  and  to 
put  their  trust  in  him — and  both  with 
the  same  result.    The  nation  had  dis- 
regarded them  alike,  and  now  their 
only  hope  was  to  confide  in  God,  and 
the  language  here  used  would  express 
the  feehngs  of  both — '  I  will  trust  in 
God.     I  will  put  confidence  in  him, 
and  look  to  him.'     (3.)  There  can  be 
little  doubt  that  in  the  time  of  Paul 
this   passage    was    regarded    by   tlie 
Jews  as  applicable   to  the   Messiah. 
This    is    evident,   because    (a)    Paul 
would  not  have  so  quoted  it  as  a  proof 
text  unless  it  would  be  admitted  to 
have    sueh  a  reference   by   those  to 
whom  he  wrote ;  and  {b)  because  in 
Rom.  ix.  3'2,  33,  it  is  evident  that  the 
passage  in  Isa.  viii.  14,  is  regarded 
as  having  reference  to  the  Messiah, 
and  as  being  so  adiliitted  by  the  Jews. 
It  is  true  that  this  may  be  considered 
merely  as  an  argument  ad  hominem 
—  or  an  argument   from   what  was 
admitted  by  those  with  whom  he  was 
reasoning,  without  vouching  for  the 
precise    accuracy  of  tlic  manner  in 
which  the  passage  was  applied — but 
that  method  of  argument  is  admitted 
elsewhere,    and  wliy  should  we  not 
expect  to  find  the  sacred  writers  rea- 
soning as  other  men  do,  and  especially 
as  was  common  in  their  own  times  ? 
The  apostle  is  showing  tiiem  that  ac- 
cording to  their  own  Scriptures,  and 
in  accordance  with  principles  which 
they  themselves  admitted,  it  was  ne- 
cessary that  the  Messiah  should  be  a 
man  and  a  sufferer ;  that  he  should 
be  identified  with  his  jwoplc,  and  be 
able  to  use  language  which  would  ex 


press  that  condition.     In  doing  this, 
it  is  not  remarkable  that  he  should 
apply  to  liiin   language   which   t/iey 
admitted  to  belong  to  him,  and  which 
would  accurately  describe  his  condi- 
tion.    (4.)  It  is  not  nececssary  to  sup- 
pose that  the  passage  in  Isaiah  had 
an  original  and  primary  reference  to 
the  Messiah.     It  is  evident  from  tho 
whole  passage  that  it  had  not.  There 
was    a  primary  reference    to    Isaiah 
himself,  and  to  his  children  as  being 
emblems  of  certain  truths.    But  still, 
there  was  a  strong   resemblance,  in 
certain  respects,  between  his  feelings 
and  condition  and  those  of  the  Messiah. 
There  was  such  a  resemblance  that 
the  one  would  not  unaptly  symbolise 
the  other.     There  was  such  a  resem- 
blance that  the  mind — probably  of  the 
prophet  himself,  and  of  the  people — 
would  look  forward  to  the  more  remote 
but  similar  event — the  coming  and 
the    circumstances    of  the    Messiah. 
So  strong  was  this  resemblance,  and 
so  much  did  the  expressions   of  the 
prophet  here  accord  with  his  declara- 
tions elsewhere  pertaining  to  the  Mes. 
siaii,  that  in  the  course  of  time  they 
came  to  be  regarded  as  relating  to 
him  in  a  very  important  sense,  and  as 
destined  to  have  their  complete  ful- 
filment  when   he  should  come.     Aa 
such  they  seem  to  have  been  used  in 
the   time  of  Paul ;  and   no  one  can 
PROVE  that  the  application  was  impro- 
per.    Who  can  demonstrate  that  God 
did  not  intend  that  those  transactions 
referred  to  by  Isaiah  should   be  de- 
signed   as    symbols    of  what   would 
occur  in  the  time  of  the  Redeemer  ?, 
They  were  certainly  symbolical  ac- 
tions— lor  they  are  expressly  so  said 
to  have  been  by  Isaiah  himself  (Isa. 
viii.  18),  and  none  can  demonstrate 
that  t!iey  might  not  have  had  an  ulti- 
mate   reference    to    the    Redeemer. 
IT  And  again.    In  another  verse,  or  in 
another  declation  ;  to  wit,  Isa.  vii.  18 
f  Behold  I  and  the  children  which  Goa 
hath  given  me.    This  is  only  a  part  of 
the  passage  in   Isaiah,  and  seems  ^o 
have  been  partially  quoted  because  tha 
paint  of  the  quotation  consisted  in  the 
tiict  that  lie  sustained  to  them  some- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


69 


14  Forasmuch    then    as    the 

what  of  the  relation  of  a  parent  towards 
his  children — as  having  the  same  na- 
ture,  and  being  identified  with  them  in 
interest  and  feeling.  As  it  is  used  by 
Isaiah,  it  means  tliat  he  and  his  chil- 
dren were  '  for  signs  and  emblems'  to 
the  people  of  his  time — to  commmai- 
cate  and  confirm  the  will  of  God,  and 
to  be  pledges  of  the  divine  favour  and 
protection.  See  Notes  on  the  passage 
in  Isaiah.  As  applied  to  the  Messiali, 
it  means  that  he  sustained  to  his 
people  a  relation  so  intimate  that  they 
could  be  addressed  and  regarded  as 
his  children.  They  were  of  one  fa- 
mily ;  one  nature.  He  became  one 
of  them,  and  had  in  them  all  the  in- 
terest which  a  father  has  in  his  sons. 
He  had,  therefore,  a  nature  like 
ours ;  and  though  he  was  exalted 
above  the  angels,  yet  his  relation  to 
man  v^as  like  the  most  tender  and 
intimate  earthly  connexions,  showing 
that  he  took  part  in  the  same  nature 
with  them.  The  point  is,  that  he  was 
a  man ;  that  since  those  who  were  to 
be  redeemed  partook  of  flesh  and 
blood,  he  also  took  part  of  the  same 
(ver.  14),  and  thus  identified  himself 
with  them. 

14.  Forasmuch  then.  Since ;  or 
because.  IT  As  the  children.  Those 
who  were  to  become  the  adopted 
children  of  God  ;  or  who  were  to  sus- 
tain that  relation  to  him.  ^  Are  par- 
lakers  of  Jlesh  and  blood.  Have  a 
human  and  not  an  angelic  nature. 
Since  they  are  men,  he  became  a  man. 
There  was  a  fitness  or  propriety  that 
he  should  partake  of  their  nature. 
See  Notes  I.  Cor.  xv.  50 ;  Matt.  xvi. 
17.  IT  He  also  himself,  &-c.  He  also 
became  a  man,  or  partook  of  the  same 
nature  with  them.  See  Notes  on 
»  John  i.  14.  ir  That  through  death. 
By  dying.  It  is  implied  here  (1)  that 
the  work  which  he  undertook  of 
destroying  him  that  had  the  power 
of  death,  was  to  be  accomplished  by 
his  own  dying  ;  and  (2)  that  in  order 
to  this,  it  was  necessary  that  he  should 
be  a  man.  An  angel  does  not  die, 
and  therefore  he  did  not  take  on  him 


children  are  partakers  of  flesh 


the  nature  of  angels ;  and  the  Son  of 
God  in  his  divine  nature  could  not 
die,  and  therefore  he  assumed  a  form 
in  which  he  could  die — that  of  a  man. 
In  that  nature  the  Son  of  God  could 
taste  of  death  ;  and  thus  he  could  de- 
stroy him  that  had  the  power  of 
death.  If  He  might  destroy.  That 
he  might  subdue,  or  that  he  might 
overcome  him,  and  destroy  his  domi- 
nion. The  word  destroy  here  is  not 
used  in  the  sense  of  closing  life,  or  of 
killing,  but  in  the  sense  of  bringing 
into  subjection,  or  crushing  his  power. 
This  is  the  work  which  the  Lord  Je- 
sus came  to  perform — to  destroy  the 
kingdom  of  Satan  in  the  world,  and 
to  set  up  another  kingdom  in  its 
place.  This  was  understood  by  Satan 
to  be  his  object.  See  Notes  on  Matt. 
viii.  29  ;  Mark  i.  24.  H  That  had  the 
power  of  death.  I  understand  this  as 
meaning  that  the  devil  was  the  cause 
of  death  in  this  world.  He  was  the 
means  of  its  introduction,  and  of  its 
long  and  melancholy  reign.  This 
does  not  affirm  anything  of  his  power 
of  inflicting  death  in  particular  in- 
stances— whatever  may  be  true  on 
that  point — but  that  death  was  a  part 
of  his  dominion  ;  that  he  introduced 
it;  that  he  seduced  man  from  God, 
and  led  on  the  train  of  woes  which 
result  in  death.  He  also  made  it  ter- 
rible.  Instead  of  being  regarded  as 
falling  asleep,  or  being  looked  on 
without  alarnj,  it  becomes  under  him 
the  means  of  terror  and  distress. 
What  power  Satan  may  have  in  in- 
flicting death  in  particular  instances 
no  one  can  tell.  The  Jewish  Rab- 
bins speak  much  of  Sammael,  "  the 
angel  of  death"— niOH  :|N'7n— who 

they  supposed  had  the  control  of  life, 
and  was  the  great  messenger  em- 
ployed in  closing  it.  The  Scriptures, 
it  is  believed,  are  silent  on  that  point. 
But  that  Satan  was  the  means  of  in- 
troducing  'death  into  the  world,  and 
all  our  wo,'  no  one  can  doubt ;  and 
over  the  whole  subject,  therefore,  he 
may  be  said  to  have  had  power.    To 


70 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  fal 


and  blood,  he "  also  himself 
likewise  took  part'of  the  same  ; 
that  through  death ''   he  might 


1  Jno  1.  14. 


destroy  him  that  had  the  power 
of  death,  that  is,  the  devil ; 
15  And    deliver    them   who 


destroy    that    doiiiiiiion ;    to    rescue 
man ;  to  restore  iiini  to  life  ;  to  place 
him  in  a  world  where  death  is   un- 
known ;  to  introduce  a  state  of  things 
where  not  another  one  loould  ever  die, 
was  the  great  purpose  for  whicli  the 
Redeemer  came.     What  a  noble  ob- 
ject !     What  enterprise    in  the  imi- 
verse  has  been  so  grand  and  noble  as 
this !      Surely  an    undertaking    that 
contemplates     the     annihilation     of 
DKATU ;    tliat   designs    to    bring    this 
dark  dominion  to  an  end,  is  full  of 
benevolence,  and  commends  itself  to 
every  man  as  worthy  of  his  profound 
attention  and  grutitudc.     What  woes 
are  caused  by  death  in  this  world  ! 
They    are    seen    everywhere.      The 
earth  is  "  arched  with  graves."     In 
almost  every  dwelling  death  has  been 
doing  his  work  of  misery.     Tlie  pa- 
lace   cannot   exclude    him ;    and    lie 
comes    unbidden    into   the    cottage. 
He  finds  his  way  to  the  dwelling  of 
ice  in  which  the  Esquimaux  and  the 
Greenlander  .Uve  ;  to  tlie  tent  of  the 
Bedouin    Arab,  and    the    wandering 
Tartar ;  to  the  wigwam  of  the  Indian, 
and  to  the   harem   of  the  Turk;   to 
the    splendid    mansion  of   tiic    rich, 
as  well  as  to  the  abode  of  tlic  poor. 
That  reign  of  death  iias  now  extended 
near   six   thousand   years,   and    will 
travel  on  to  future  times  —  meeting 
each  generation,  and  consigning  the 
young,  the  vigorous,  the  lovely,  and 
ilin  pure,  to  dust.     Shall  that  gloomy 
reign  continue    for  ever  ?     Is    there 
Ao  way  to    arrest  it?     Is   there   no 
place  where  death  can  be  excluded  ? 
Yes :  heaven — and  the  object  of  the 
Redeemer  is  to  bring  us  there. 

15.  And  deliver  them.  Not  all  of 
them  in  fnct,  though  the  way  is  open 
for  all.  This  deliverance  relates  (I.) 
to  the  dread  of  death.  He  came  to 
free  them  from  that.  (2.)  From  deatli 
itself — tiiat  is,  ultimately  to  bring 
them  to  a  world  wliere  dcatli  shall  be 


blC.  15.  54. 


unknown.  The  dread  of  death  may 
be  removed  by  tlie  work  of  Christ, 
and  they  who  had  been  s&bject  to 
constant  alarms  on  account  of  it  may 
be  brought  to  look  on  it  with  calm- 
ness and  peace ;  and  ultimately  they 
will  be  brought  to  a  world  where 
it  will  be  wholly  unknown.  The 
dread  of  death  is  taken  away,  or  they 
are  delivered  from  that,  because  (a) 
the  cause  of  that  dread — to  wit,  sin, 
is  removed.  Notes  I.  Cor.  xv.  54, 55. 
{!>)  Because  they  are  enabled  to  look 
to  the  world  beyond  witli  triumphant 
joy.  Death  conducts  them  to  hea- 
von.  A  Christian  has  notliing  to  fear 
in  death  ;  nothing  beyond  the  gi-ave. 
In  no  part  of  the  universe  has  he  any 
thing  to  dread,  for  God  is*  his  friend, 
and  he  will  be  his  Protector  every- 
where. On  the  dying  bed ;  in  the 
grave ;  on  the  way  up  to  the  judg- 
ment ;  at  the  solemn  tribunal ;  and 
in  the  eternal  world,  he  is  imder  the 
eye  and  the  protection  of  his  Saviour 
— and  of  what  should  he  be  afraid  ? 
^  Who  through  fear  of  death.  From 
the  dread  of  dying — that  is,  whenever 
tliey  tliink  of  it,  and  they  think  of  it 
so  often  as  to  make  them  sla,ves  of 
that  fear.  This  obviously  means  the 
natural  dread  of  dying,  and  not  par- 
ticularly the  fear  of  punishment  be- 
yond. It  is  that  indeed  which  often 
gives  its  principal  terror  to  the  dread 
of  death,  but  still  the  apostle  refers 
here  evidently  to  natural  death — as 
an  object  which  men  fear.  All  men 
have,  by  nature,  this  dread  of  dying — 
and  perhaps  some  of  the  inferior  cre- 
ation have  it  also.  It  is  certain  that 
it  existc!  iu  the  heart  of  every  man, 
and  that  God  lias  implanted  it  tiiero 
for  some  wise  purpose.  There  is  the 
dread  (1.)  of  the  dying  pang,  or  pain. 
(2.)  (_)f  the  darkness  and  gloom  of 
mind  that  attends  it.  (3.)  Of  the  un- 
known world  beyond — the  "evil  that 
\vc  know  not  of."     (I.)  Of  tiie  chilli 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II, 


71 


through  °  fear  of  death  were  all 

a  Lu.  1.  74. 

ness,  and  loneliness,  and  darkness  of 
the  grave.  (5.)  Of  the  solemn  trial 
at  the  bar  of  God.  (6.)  Of  the  con- 
demnation which  awaits  the  guilty — 
the  apprehension  of  future  wo.  I'here 
is  no  other  evil  that  we  fear  so  much 
as  we  do  death — and  there  is  nothing 
more  clear  than  that  God  intended 
that  we  should  have  a  dread  of  dying. 
The  REASONS  why  he  designed  this 
are  equally  clear.  (1.)  One  may  have 
been  to  lead  men  to  prepare  for  it — 
which  otherwise  they  would  neglect. 
(2.)  Another,  to  deter  them  from  com- 
mitting self-murder — where  nothing 
else  would  deter  them.  Facts  have 
shown  that  it  was  necessary  that 
there  should  be  some  strong  principle 
in  the  human  bosom  to  prevent  this 
crime — and  even  the  dread  of  death 
does  not  alwaijs  do  it.  So  sick  do 
men  become  of  the  life  that  God  gave 
them  ;  so  weary  of  the  world  ;  so 
overwhelmed  with  calamity ;  so  op- 
pressed with  disappointment  and 
cares,  that  they  lay  violent  hands  on 
themselves,  and  rush  unbidden  into 
the  awful  presence  of  their  Creator. 
This  would  occur  more  frequently  by 
far  than  it  now  does,  if  it  were  not 
for  the  salutary  fear  of  death  which 
God  has  implanted  in  every  bosom. 
The  feelings  of  the  human  heart  on 
this  subject  were  never  more  accu- 
rately or  graphically  drawn  than  in 
the  celebrated  Soliloquy  of  Hamlet — 


-to  die  ;— to  sleep — 


No  more ; — and  by  a  sleep,  to  say  we  end 
The  heart-ache,  and  the  thousand  natural 

shocks 
That  flesh  is  heir  to,— 'tis  a  consummation 
Devoutly  to  be  wished.    To  die — to  sleep — 
To    Bleep!  —  perchance    to    dream;  —  ay, 

there's  the  rub; 
For  in  that  sleep  of  death  what  dreams  may 

come. 
When  we  have  shuffled  off  this  mortal  coil, 
Must  give  us  pause  : — there's  the  respect 
That  makes  calamity  of  so  long  a  life  : 
For  who  would  bear  the  whips  and  scorns 

of  time, 
The  oppressor's  wrong,  the   proud   man's 

contumely. 
The  pangs  of  despised  love,  the  law's  delay, 
The  insolence  of  office,  and  the  spurns 
I'lial  patient  merit  of  the  unworthy  takes. 


their  life-time  subject  to  bond- 
age. 


When  he  himself  might  his  quietus  make 
With  a  bare  bodkin  ?    Who  would  fardels 

bear, 
To  grunt  and  sweat  under  a  weary  life; 
But  that  the  dread  of  something   after 

death, — 
The    undiscovered    country    from    woose 

bourne 
No  traveller  returns,— puzzles  the  will ; 
And  makes  us  rather  bear  those  ills  we 

have, 
Than  fly  to  others  that  we  know  not  of? 
Thus  conscience  does  make  cowards  of  us 

all. 
And  thus  the  native  hue  of  resolution 
Is   sicklied    o'er    with   the    pale   cast    of 

thought; 
And  enterprises  of  great  pith  and  moment 
With  this  regard  their  currents  turn  awry 
And  lose  the  name  of  action. 

God  designed  that  man  should  be  de- 
terred  from  rushing  uncalled  into  hia 
awful  presence,  by  this  salutary  dread 
of  death  —  and  his  implanting  this 
feeling  in  the  human  heart  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  and  conclusive 
proofs  of  a  moral  government  ovei 
the  world.  This  instinctive  dread  ol 
death  can  be  overcome  only  by  reli. 
gion— ^and  then  man  does  not  need  it 
to  reconcile  him  to  life.  He  becomes 
submissive  to  trials.  He  is  willing 
to  bear  all  that  is  laid  on  him.  He 
resigns  himself  to  the  dispensations 
of  Providence,  and  feels  that  life,  even 
in  affliction,  is  the  gift  of  God,  and 
is  a  valuable  endowment.  He  now 
dreads  self-murder  as  a  crime  of  deep 
dye,  and  religion  restrains  him  and 
keeps  him  by  a  more  mild  and  salu- 
tary restraint  than  the  dread  of  death. 
The  man  who  has  true  religion  is 
willing  to  live  or  to  die ;  he  feels  that 
life  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  that  he 
will  take  it  away  in  the  best  time  and 
manner ;  and  feeling  this,  he  is  wil- 
ling to  leave  all  in  his  hands.  We 
may  remark  (1)  how  much  do  we 
owe  to  religion  !  It  is  the  only  thino 
that  will  effectually  take  away  the 
dread  of  deatli,  and  yet  secure  this 
point  —  to  make  man  willing  to  live 
in  all  the  circumstances  where  God 
may  place  him.  It  is  possible  that 
philosophy  or  stoicism  may  remove 
to  a  great  extent  the  dread  of  death 


72 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


16  For  verily'  he  took  not 
on  him  the  nature  of  angels ; 
but  he  took  on  him  the  seed  of 
Abraham. 

I  Ac  lakcth  not  hold  of  anfrch,  but  of  the  seed 
of  Aliraham  he  lakcth  hold. 

— but  then  it  will  be  likely  to  make  a 
mail  willing  to  take  his  life  if  he  is 
placed  in  trj'ing'  circuinstances.  Such 
an  effect  it  had  on  Cato  in  Utica ; 
and  such  an  effect  it  liad  on  Hume, 
who  maintained  that  suicide  was 
lawful,  and  tliat  to  turn  a  current  of 
blood  from  its  accustomed  channel 
was  oi  no  more  consequence  than  to 
change  the  course  of  any  other  fluid  I 
(^.j  In  what  a  sad  condition  is  the 
sinner  I  Thousands  there  are  who 
never  think  of  death  with  composure, 
and  who  all  their  life  long  are  subject 
to  bondage  through  the  fear  of  it. 
They  never  think  of  it  if  they  can 
avoid  it ;  and  when  it  is  forced  upon 
them,  it  fills  them  with  alarm.  They 
attempt  to  drive  the  thought  away. 
They  travel ;  they  plunge  into  busi- 
ness ;  they  occupy  the  mind  with  tri- 
fles ;  they  drown  their  fears  in  the 
intoxicating  bowl:  but  all  this  tends 
only  to  make  death  more  terrific  and 
awful  when  the  reality  comes.  If 
man  were  wise,  he  would  seek  an  in- 
terest in  that  religion  which,  if  it  did 
nothing  else,  would  deliver  him  from 
the  dread  of  death  ;  and  the  influence 
of  the  gospel  in  this  respect,  if  it  ex- 
erted no  other,  is  worth  to  a  man  all 
the  sacrifices  and  self-denials  which 
it  would  ever  require.  ^  All  their 
life-tiine  subject  to  bondage.  Slaves 
of  fear;  in  a  depressed  and  miserable 
cor  dition,  like  slaves  under  a  master. 
They  have  no  freedom  ;  no  comfort ; 
no  peace.  From  this  miserable  state 
Christ  comes  to  deliver  man.  Re- 
ligion enables  him  to  look  calmly 
on  death  and  the  judgment,  and  to 
feel  that  all  will  be  well. 

16.  For  verily.  Truly,  t  He  took 
not  on  him  tiie  nature  of  angels. 
Marg.  He  taketh  vol  hold  of  angels, 
but  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  he  taketh 
hold.  The  word  lierc  used  —  fViXu/i. 
fiiivfTai — means,  to  take  hold  upon; 


17  Wherefore  in  all  things 
it  behoved  him  to  be  made  like 
unto  his  brethren,  that  he  might 
be  a  merciful  "  and  faithful  high 

a  Ge.  19.  15,  IC. 


to  seize ;  to  surprise ;  to  take  hold 
witii  a  view  to  detain  for  one's  self 
Robinson.  Then  it  means  to  take 
hold  of  one  as  by  the  hand — with  a 
view  to  aid,  conduct,  or  succour. 
Mark  viii.  523 ;  Acts  xxiii.  I'J.  It  is 
rendered  took^  Mark  viii.  23 ;  Luke 
ix.  47  ;  xiv.  4  ;  Acts  ix.  27  ;  xvii.  19 ; 
xviii.  17;  xxi.  30.  33;  xxiii.  19  ;  Heb. 
viii.  9  ;  caught,  Matt.  xiv.  31 ;  Acts 
xvi.  19 ;  take  hold,  Luke  xx.  20.  26 ; 
lay  hold,  and  laid  hold,  Luke  xxiii. 
26  ;  1.  Tim.  vi.  12.  The  general  idea 
is  that  of  seizing  upon,  or  laying  hold 
of  any  one  —  no  matter  wliat  the  ob- 
ject is — whether  to  aid,  or  to  drag  to 
punishment,  or  simply  to  conduct. 
Here  it  means  to  lay  hold  with  refe- 
rence to  aid,  or  help  ;  and  the  mean- 
ing is,  that  he  did  not  seize  the  na- 
ture of  angels,  or  take  it  to  himself 
with  reference  to  rendering  them  aid, 
but  he  assumed  the  nature  of  man — 
in  order  to  aid  him.  He  undertook 
the  work  of  human  redemption,  and 
consequently  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  be  a  man.  H  But  he  took  on 
him  the  seed  of  Abraham.  He  came 
to  help  the  descendants  of  Abraham, 
and  consequently  as  they  were  men, 
he  became  a  man.  Writing  to  Jews, 
it  was  not  minatural  for  the  apostle 
to  refer  particularly  to  them  as  the 
descendants  of  Abraham,  though  this 
does  not  exclude  the  idea  that  he  died 
for  the  whole  human  race.  It  was 
true  that  he  came  to  render  aid  to  the 
descendants  of  Abraham,  but  it  was 
also  true  that  he  died  for  all.  The 
fact  that  I  love  one  of  my  children, 
and  that  I  make  provision  for  his 
education,  and  tell  him  so,  does  not 
exclude  the  idea  that  I  love  the  others 
also — and  that  I  may  make  to  them 
a  similar  appeal  when  it  shall  be 
proper. 

17.  Wlterefnre  in  all  things.     In  re- 
spect  to  iiis  body ;  his  soul ;  hia  rank 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  II. 


73 


priest  in  things   pertaining  to 


and  character.  There  was  a  pro- 
priety that  he  should  be  like  them, 
and  should  partake  of  their  nature. 
The  meaning-  is,  that  there  was  a  fit- 
ness that  nothing  should  be  wanting^ 
in  him  in  reference  to  the  innocent 
propensities  and  sympathies  of  hu- 
man nature.  ^  It  behoved  him.  It 
became  him ;  or  there  was  a  fitness 
and  propriety  in  it.  The  reason  why 
it  was  proper,  the  apostle  proceeds  to 
state.  H  Like  unto  his  brethren.  Like 
unto  those  who  sustained  to  him  the 
relation  of  brethren  ;  particularly  as 
he  undertook  to  redeem  the  descend- 
ants of  Abraham,  and  as  he  was  a 
descendant  of  Abraham  himself,  there 
was  a  propriety  that  he  should  be 
like  them.  He  calls  them  brethren  ; 
and  it  was  proper  that  he  should 
show  that  he  regarded  them  as  such 
by  assuming  their  nature.  "iT  That 
he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful 
high  priest.  (1.)  That  he  might  be 
vierciful ;  that  is,  compassionate.  That 
he  might  know  how  to  pity  us  in  our 
infirmities  and  trials,  by  having  a 
nature  like  our  own.  (2.)  That  he 
might  he  faithful ;  that  is,  perform 
with  fidelity  all  the  functions  pertain- 
ing to  the  office  of  high  priest.  The 
idea  is,  that  it  was  needful  that  he 
should  become  a  man ;  that  he  should 
experience  as  we  do  the  infirmities 
and  trials  of  life,  and  that  by  being  a 
man,  and  partaking  of  all  that  per- 
tained to  man  except  his  sins,  he 
might  feel  how  necessary  it  was  that 
there  should  be  Jidelity  in  the  office 
of  high  priest.  Here  was  a  race  of 
sinners  and  sufferers.  They  were 
exposed  to  the  wrath  of  God.  They 
were  liable  to  everlasting  punishment. 
The  judgment  impended  over  the 
race,  and  the  day  of  vengeance  has- 
tened on.  All  now  depended  on  the 
Great  High  Priest.  All  their  hope 
was  in  his  fidelity  to  the  great  office 
which  he  had  undertaken.  If  he  were 
faithful,  all  would  be  safe  ;  if  he  were 
unfaithful,  all  would  be  lost.  Hence 
•the  necessity  that  he  should  enter 
7 


God,  to  make  reconciliation  for 
the  sins  of  the  people  : 

fully  into  the  feelings,  fears,  and  dan- 
gers of  man ;  that  he  should  become 
one  of  the  race  and  be  identified  with 
them,  so  that  he  might  be  qualified  to 
perform  with  faithfulness  the  great 
trust  committed  to  him.  IT  High 
priest.  The  Jewish  high  priest  was 
the  successor  of  Aaron,  and  was  at 
the  head  of  the  ministers  of  religion 
among  the  Jews.  He  was  set  apart 
with  solemn  ceremonies  —  clad  in 
his  sacred  vestments  —  and  anointed 
with  oil.  Ex.  xxix.  5 — 9  ;  Lev.  viii. 
2.  He  was  by  his  office  the  general 
judge  of  all  that  pertained  to  religion, 
and  even  of  the  judicial  affairs  of  the 
Jewish  nation.  Deut.  xvii.  8  — 12; 
xix.  17;  xxi.  5;  xxxiii.  9,  10.  He 
only  had  the  privilege  of  entering  the 
most  holy  place  once  a  year,  on  the 
great  day  of  expiation,  to  make  atone, 
ment  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  people. 
Lev.  xvi.  2,  &c.  He  was  the  oracle 
of  truth — so  that  when  clothed  in  his 
proper  vestments,  and  having  on  the 
Urim  and  Thummim,  he  made  known 
the  will  of  God  in  regard  to  future 
events.  The  Lord  Jesus  became  in 
the  Christian  dispensation  what  the 
Jewish  high  priest  was  in  the  old ; 
and  an  important  object  of  this  epis- 
tie  is  to  show  that  he  far  surpassed 
the  Jewish  high  priest,  and  in  what 
respects  the  Jewish  high  priest  was 
designed  to  typify  the  Redeemer. 
Paul,  therefore,  early  introduces  the 
subject,  and  shows  tliat  the  Lord  Je- 
sus came  to  perform  the  fiinctions  of 
that  sacred  office,  and  that  he  was 
eminently  endowed  for  it.  IT  In 
things  pertaining  to  God.  In  offer- 
ing sacrifice  ;  or  in  services  of  a  reli- 
gious nature.  The  great  purpose  was 
to  offer  sacrifice,  and  make  interces- 
sion ;  and  the  idea  is,  that  Jesus  took 
on  himself  our  nature  that  he  might 
sympathise  with  us ;  that  thus  he 
might  be  faithful  to  the  great  trust 
committed  to  him  —  the  redemption 
of  the  world.  Had  he  been  unfaith- 
ful, all  would  liave  been  lost,  and  the 
world  would  have  sunk  down  to  wq. 


74 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


18  For  in    that  he    himself 
hath    suffered,   being  tempted, 


IT  To  make  reconciliation.  By  his 
death  as  a  sacrifice.  The  word  here 
used  —  i'^(iaKOf^a^  —  occurs  but  in  one 
other  place  in  the  New  Testament 
(Luke  xviii.  13),  where  it  is  rendered 
'  God  be  merciful  to  ine  a  sinner ;' 
that  is,  reconciled  to  me,  Tlie  noun 
(iXdOfidi  —  propitiation)  is  used  in  1. 
John  ii.  2;  iv.  10.  The  word  here 
means  properly  to  appease,  to  recon- 
cile, to  conciliate ;  and  hence  to  pro- 
pitiate AS  TO  sins ;  tliat  is,  to  propi- 
tiate God  in  reference  to  sins,  or  to 
render  him  propiJious.  The  Son  of 
God  became  a  man,  that  he  might  so 
fully  enter  into  the  feelings  of  the  peo- 
ple as  to  be  faithful,  and  that  he  might 
be  qualified  as  a  high  priest  to  pcrli  rrn 
the  groat  work  of  rendering  God  pro- 
pitious in  regard  to  sins.  How  he  did 
tliis,  is  fully  shown  in  the  subsequent 
parts  of  the  epistle. 

18.  For  in  that  he  himself ,  Sec.  Be- 
cause he  has  suffered,  he  is  able  to 
sympatiiize  with  sufferers.  If  Being 
tempted.  Or,  being  tried.  The  Greek 
word  here  used  is  more  general  in  its 
meaning  than  the  English  word  tempt- 
ed. It  means  to  put  to  the  proof ;  to 
try  the  nature  or  character  of;  and 
this  may  be  done  either  (1)  by  sub- 
jecting a  person  to  afflictions  or  suf. 
feririfrs  that  his  true  character  may 
be  tried  —  that  it  may  be  seen  whe- 
tlier  he  has  sincere  piety  and  love  to 
God ;  or  (2)  by  allowing  one  to  fall 
into  temptation,  properly  so  called — 
where  some  strong  inducement  to 
evil  is  presented  to  the  mind,  and 
where  it  becomes  thus  a  trial  of  vir- 
tue. The  Saviour  was  subjected  to 
both  these  in  as  severe  a  form  as  was 
ever  presented  to  men.  His  suffer- 
ings surpassed  all  others ;  and  the 
temptations  of  Satan  (see  Matt,  iv.) 
were  presented  in  the  most  alluring 
form  in  which  he  could  exhibit  them. 
Being  proved  or  tried  in  both  these 
respects,  he  showed  that  he  had  a 
strength  of  virtue  whicJi  could  bear  all 
that  could  ever  occur  to  seduce  iiitn 


he  i.s  able  to  succour  them  that 
are  tempted. 


from  attachment  to  God  ;  and  at  the 
same  time  to  make  him  a  perfect  mo- 
del for  those  wlio  should  be  tried  in 
the  same  manner.  ^  He  is  able  to 
succour,  iScc.  This  does  not  mean 
that  he  would  not  have  had  power  to 
assist  others  if  he  had  not  gone 
through  these  sufferings,  but  that  he 
is  now  qualified  to  sympatiiize  with 
them  from  the  fact  that  he  has  en- 
dured like  trials. 

"  He  knows  what  son?  temptations  mean, 
For  Jifc  has  felt  the  same." 

The  idea  is,  that  one  who  has  him 
self  been  called  to  suffer  is  able  to 
sj'mpatliize  with  those  who  suffer 
one  lias  been  tempted,  is  able  to  sym- 
pathize with  those  who  are  tempted 
in  like  manner.  One  who  has  been 
sick  is  qualified  to  sympathize  with 
the  sick ;  one  who  has  lost  a  child, 
can  sympathize  with  him  who  follows 
his  beloved  son  or  daughter  to  the 
grave ;  one  who  has  had  some  strong 
temptation  to  sin  urged  upon  himself 
can  sympathize  with  those  who  are 
now  tempted :  one  who  has  never 
been  sick,  or  who  has  never  buried  a 
friend,  or  been  tempted,  is  poorly 
qualified  to  impart  consolation  in  such 
scenes.  Hence  it  is,  tiiat  ministers 
of  the  gospel  are  often  —  like  their 
Master — nmch  persecuted  and  afflict- 
ed, that  they  may  be  able  to  assist 
others.  Hence  they  are  called  to  part 
with  the  children  of  their  love  ;  or  to 
endure  long  and  painful  sicknesses, 
or  to  pass  tiirough  scenes  of  poverty 
and  want,  that  they  may  sympathize 
with  the  most  humble  and  afflicted 
of  their  flock.  And  they  should  be 
willing  t(,  endure  all  this  ;  for  (I)  thus 
they  are  like  their  Master  (comp.  Coll, 
i.  24 ;  Pliil.  iii.  10) ;  and  (2)  tlicy  are 
thus  enabled  to  ly?  far  more  exten- 
sis'cly  useful.  ^lany  a  minister  owes 
a  large  part  of  his  usefulness  to  the 
fact  that  lie  has  been  much  afflicted; 
and  for  tliosc  afflictions,  therefore,  he 
should  unfeigncdly  thank  God.    The 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  III. 


75 


idea  which  is  here  expressed  by  the 
apestle — that  one  is  enabled  to  sym- 
pathize with  others  from  having  him- 
self suffered,  was  long  since  beauti- 
fully expressed  by  Virgil : 

Me  quoque  per  multos  similis  fortuna  la- 
bores, 

Jactataiii,  hac  deinum  voluit  consistere 
terra. 

Noil  ignara  inali,  miseris  succurrere  disco. 

.iEii.  I.  028. 

For  I  myself  like  you  have  been  distressed. 
Till  heaven  afforded  me  this  place  of  rest; 
Like  you,  an  alien  in  a  land  unknown, 
1  learn  to  pity  woes  so  like  my  own. 

Drijden. 

Jesus  is  thus  able  to  alleviate  the  suf- 
ferer. In  all  our  temptations  and 
trials  let  us  remember  (1)  that  he 
Buffered  more — infinitely  more — than 
we  can  do,  and  that  in  all  our  sor- 
rows we  shall  never  reach  what  he 
endured.  We  enter  no  region  of  trial 
where  he  has  not  gone  beyond  us ; 
we  tread  no  dark  and  gloomy  way 
where  he  has  not  gone  before  us. 
(2.)  Let  us  remember  that  he  is  to  us 
a  brother,  for  he  "  is  not  ashamed  to 
call  us  brethren."  He  had  a  nature 
like  ours  ;  he  condescended  to  appear 
as  one  of  our  race,  with  all  the  inno- 
cent propensities  and  passions  of  a 
man.  What  matchless  condescen- 
sion !  And  what  an  honour  for  us 
to  be  permitted  to  address  him  as  an 
'  elder  brother,'  and  to  know  that  he 
feels  a  deep  sympathy  in  our  woes ! 
(3.)  Let  us  then,  in  all  times  of  afflic- 
tion, look  to  him.  Go  not,  suffering 
Christian,  to  philosophy  ;  attempt  not 
to  deaden  your  feelings  by  the  art  of 
the  Stoic ;  but  go  at  once  to  the  Sa- 
viour— the  great,  sympathizing  High 
Priest,  who  is  able  to  succour  you — 
an4  rest  your  burdens  on  him. 

"  His  heart  is  made  of  tenderness, 
His  soul  is  filled  with  love. 

"  Touch'd  with  a  sympathy  within, 
He  knows  oiir  feeble  frame  ; 
He  knows  what  sore  temptations  mean. 
For  he  has  felt  the  same. 

Then  let  our  humble  faith  address 

His  mercy  and  his  power  ;j 
We  shall  obtain  delivering  grace, 

In  every  trying  hour." 


CHAPTER  in. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE   CHAPTER. 

The  Jews  valued  their  religion  on 
many  accounts.  One  was  that  it  had 
been  given  by  the  instrumentality 
of  distinguished  prophets  sent  from 
God,  and  by  the  medium  of  angels. 
The  apostle,  in  the  previous  chapters, 
had  shown  that  in  these  respects  the 
Christian  religion  had  the  advantage 
over  theirs,  for  it  had  been  communi- 
cated by  one  who  was  superior  to 
any  of  the  prophets,  and  who  had  a 
rank  above  the  angels.  Next  to  this, 
they  valued  their  religion  because  it 
had  been  imparted  by  a  law-giver  so 
eminent  as  Moses^a  man  more  dis- 
tinguished than  any  other  one  on 
earth  as  a  legislator.  To  him  they 
looked  with  pride  as  the  founder  of 
their  economy,  and  the  medium 
through  whom  God  had  given  them 
their  peculiar  laws.  Next  to  him, 
their  High  Priest  was  the  most  im- 
portant fimctionary  in  the  nation 
He  was  at  the  head  of  their  religion, 
and  served  to  distinguish  it  from  all 
others,  for  they  had  no  conception 
of  any  form  of  true  religion  unless 
the  office  of  liigh  priest  was  recog- 
nised. The  apostle,  therefore,  pro- 
ceeds  to  show  that  in  these  respects 
the  Christian  religion  had  lost  no- 
thing, but  had  the  advantage  alto- 
gether— that  it  was  founded  by  one 
superior  to  Moses,  and  that  Christ  as 
high  priest  was  superior  by  far  to  the 
high  priest  of  the  Jews. 

This  chapter,  and  to  ver.  13  of  ch. 
iv.,  relates  to  the  first  of  these  points, 
and  is  occupied  with  showing  the 
superiority  of  the  Redeemer  to  Moses, 
and  the  consequences  which  result 
from  the  admission  of  that  fact.  It 
consists,  therefore,  of  two  parts. 

I.  The  first  is  employed  in  showing 
that  if  the  Author  of  the  Christian 
religion  is  compared  with  Moses,  he 
has  the  preference.  Vs.  1 — 6.  Moses 
was  indeed  faithful,  but  it  was  as  a 
nervant.  Christ  was  faithful  as  a  son. 
He  had  a  rank  as  much  above  that 
of  Moses  as  one  who  builds  a  house 
has  over  the  house  itself. 


76 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


CHAPTER  III. 

WHEREFORE,  holy  breth- 
ren,   partakers    of    the 


II.  The  consequences  that  resulted 
from  that.  Ch.  iii.  vs.  7 — 19,  and 
ch.  iv.  1 — 13.  The  general  doctrhie 
here  is,  that  there  would  be  special 
danger  in  apostatising  from  the  CJiris- 
tiau  religion — danger  far  superior  to 
tliat  which  was  threatened  to  the  Is- 
raelites if  they  were  disobedient  to 
Moses.  In  illustrating  this,  the  apos- 
tle is  naturall}'  led  to  a  statement  of 
the  warnings  against  defection  under 
Moses,  and  of  the  consequences  of 
unbelief  and  rebellion  there.  He  en- 
treats them,  therefore,  (1.)  not  to 
harden  their  hearts  against  God,  as 
the  Israelites  did,  who  were  excluded 
from  Canaan.  Vs.  7—11.  (2.)  To 
be  on  their  guard  against  unbelief. 
Ver.  12.  (3.)  To  exhort  one  another 
constantly,  and  to  stimulate  one 
another,  that  they  might  not  fall 
away.  Ver.  13.  (4.)  To  hold  the 
beginning  of  their  confidence  stead- 
fast unto  the  end,  and  not  to  provoke 
God  as  they  did  who  came  out  of 
Egypt  Vs.  14—19.  In  the  follow- 
ing chapter  (vs.  1 — 13)  he  completes 
the  exhortation,  by  showing  them 
that  many  who  came  out  of  Egypt 
were  excluded  from  the  promised 
land,  and  that  there  was  equal  danger 
now ;  and  then  proceeds  with  the 
comparison  of  Christ  with  the  Jewish 
high  priest,  and  extends  that  compa- 
rison through  the  remainder  of  the 
doctrinal  part  of  the  epistle. 

1.  Wlierefore.  That  is,  since  Christ 
sustains  such  a  character  as  has  been 
stated  in  the  previous  chapter ;  since 
he  is  so  able  to  succour  tliose  who 
need  assistance ;  since  he  assumed 
our  nature  that  he  might  be  a  mer- 
ciful and  faithful  high  priest,  his 
character  ought  to  be  attentively  con- 
sidered, and  we  ought  to  endeavour 
fully  to  understand  it.  IT  Holy  hreth- 
ren.  The  name  brethren  is  oflcn 
given  to  Christians  to  denote  that 
tliey  are  of  one  family.    It  is  posiible, 


heavenly  calling,  consider  the 
apostle  and  High  Priest"  of  our 
profession,  Christ  Jesus ; 


a  c.  4.  14. 


also,  that  the  apostle  may  have  used 
the  word  here  in  a  double  sense— de 
noting  that  they  were  his  brethren 
as  Christians,  and  as  Jetos.  The 
word  holy  is  applied  to  them  to  de- 
note that  they  were  set  apart  to  God, 
or  that  they  were  sanctified.  The 
Jews  were  often  called  a  "holy  peo- 
ple," as  being  consecrated  to  God 
and  Christians  are  holy,  not  only  as 
consecrated  to  God,  but  as  sanctified. 
^  Partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling. 
On  the  meaning  of  the  word  calling, 
see  Notes  on  Eph.  iv.  1.  The  'Aea- 
venly  calling'  denotes  the  calling 
which  was  given  to  them  from  hea- 
ven, or  which  was  of  a  heavenly  na- 
ture. It  pertained  to  heaven,  not  to 
earth  ;  it  came  from  heaven,  not  from 
earth ;  it  was  a  calling  to  the  reward 
and  happiness  of  heaven,  and  not  to 
the  pleasures  and  honours  of  the 
world.  IT  Consider.  Attentively  pon- 
der all  that  is  said  of  the  Messiah. 
Think  of  his  rank  ;  his  dignity ;  his 
holiness;  his  sufferings;  his  death; 
his  resurrection,  ascension,  interces- 
sion. Think  of  him  that  you  may 
see  the  claims  to  a  holy  life ;  that  you 
may  learn  to  bear  trials ;  that  you 
may  be  kept  from  apostasy.  The 
character  and  work  of  the  Son  of  God 
are  worthy  of  the  profound  and 
prayerful  consideration  of  every  man ; 
and  especially  every  Christian  should 
reflect  much  on  him.  Of  the  friend 
that  we  love  we  think  much ;  but 
what  friend  have  we  like  the  Iiord 
Jesus  ?  IT  T%e  apostle.  The  word 
apostle  is  nowhere  else  applied  to  the 
Lord  Jesus.  The  word  means  one 
who  is  sent  —  and  in  this  sense  it 
might  be  applied  to  the  Redeemer  as 
one  sent  by  God,  or  as  by  way  of 
eminence  the  one  sent  by  him.  But 
the  connexion  seems  to  demand  that 
there  should  be  some  allusion  here' 
to  one  who  sustained  a  similar  rank 
among  the  Jews;   and  it  is   proba- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  III. 


77 


2  Who  was  faithful   to  him 
that'  appointed  him,  as  also  Mo- 

•  made. 

ble  that  the  allusion  is  to  Moses,  as 
having  been  the  great  apostle  of  God 
to  tlie  Jewish  people,  and  that  Paul 
here  means  to  say,  that  the  Lord  Je- 
sus, under  the  new  dispensation,  filled 
the  place  of  Moses  and  of  the  high 
priest  under  the  old,  and  tliat  the  of- 
fice of  "  apostle"  and  "high  priest," 
instead  of  being  now  separated,  as 
it  was  between  Moses  and  Aaron 
under  the  old  dispensation,  was 
now  blended  in  the  Messiah.  The 
name  apostle  is  not  indeed  given 
to  Moses  directly  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, but  the  verb  from  which  the 
Hebrew  word  for  apostle  is  derived 
is  frequently  given  him.  Thus  in 
Ex.  iii.  10,  it  is  said,  "Come  now, 
therefore,  and  /  will  send  thee  unto 
Pharaoh."  And  in  ver.  13,  "The 
God  of  your  fathers  Aa^A  sent  me  unto 
you."  So  also  in  vs.  14,  15,  of  the 
same  chapter.     From  the  word  there 

used — rh'ii' — to  send,  the  word  de- 
noting apostle  —  n^/JS'  —  is  derived ; 
and  it  is  not  improbable  that  Moses 
would  be  regarded  as  being  by  way 
of  eminence  the  one  sent  by  God. 
Further,  the  Jews  applied  the  word 
TT' vB'  —  apostle,  to  the  minister  of  the 

synagogue ;  to  him  who  presided  over 
its  atfairs,  and  who  had  the  general 
charge  of  the  services  there  ;  and  in 
this  sense  it  might  be  applied  by  way 
of  eminence  to  Moses  as  being  the 
general  director  and  controller  of  the 
religious  affairs  of  the  nation,  and  as 
sent  for  that  purpose.  The  object  of 
Paul  is  to  show  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
in  the  Christian  system — as  the  great 
apostle  sent  from  God — sustained  a 
rank  and  office  similar  to  this,  but 
superior  in  dignity  and  authority. 
^  And  High  Priest.  One  great  object 
of  this  epistle  is  to  compare  the  Lord 
Jesus  with  the  high  piiest  of  the  Jews, 
and  to  show  that  he  was  in  all  respects 
superior.  This  was  important,  be- 
cause the  office  of  high  priest  was 
7* 


ses"  was  faithful  in  all  his 
house, 

a  Nu.  12.  7. 

that  which  eminently  distinguished 
the  Jewish  religion,  and  because  the 
Christian  religion  proposed  to  abolish 
that.  It  became  necessary,  therefore, 
to  show  that  all  that  was  dignified 
and  valuable  in  that  office  was  to  be 
found  in  the  Christian  system.  This 
was  done  by  showing  that  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  was  found  all  the  cliaracteris- 
tics  of  a  high  priest,  and  that  all  the 
functions  which  had  been  performed 
in  the  Jewish  ritual  were  performed 
by  him,  and  that  all  which  had  been 
prefigured  by  the  Jewish  high  priest 
was  fulfilled  in  him.  Tiie  apostle 
here  merely  alludes  to  him,  or  names 
him  as  the  high  priest,  and  then  post- 
pones the  consideration  of  his  char- 
acter in  that  respect  till  after  he  had 
compared  him  with  Moses.  IT  Of 
our  profession.  Of  our  religion ;  of 
that  religion  which  we  profess.  The 
apostle  and  high  priest  whom  we  con- 
fessed as  ours  when  we  embraced  the 
Christian  religion. 

2.  Who  was  faithful.  See  Note, 
ch.  ii.  17.  He  performed  with  fidelity 
all  the  functions  entrusted  to  him. 
If  To  him  that  appointed  him.  Marg. 
Made.  The  word  made,  however,  is 
used  in  the  sense  of  constituted,  or 
appointed.  The  meaning  is,  that  he 
was  faithful  to  God.  Perhaps  Paul 
urges  on  them  tlie  necessity  of  con- 
sidering his  Jidelity  in  order  to  keep 
them  from  the  danger  of  apostasy. 
A  leading  object  of  this  epistle  was 
to  preserve  those  whom  he  addressed 
from  apostatizing  from  God  amidst 
the  temptations  and  trials  to  which 
they  were  exposed.  In  doing  this, 
what  could  be  a  more  powerful  argu- 
ment than  to  direct  their  attention  to 
the  unwavering  constancy  and  fidel- 
ity of  the  Lord  Jesus  ?  The  import- 
ance of  such  a  virtue  in  the  Savioun 
is  manifest.  It  is  seen  everywhere  ; 
and  all  the  great  interests  of  the 
world  depend  on  it.  A  husband 
should  maintain  inviolate  fidelity  to- 
wards a  wife,  and  a  wife  towards  her 


78 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


3  For  ihi3  man  was  counted 
worthy  of  more  glory  than  Mo- 
ses, inasmuch  as  he  wlio  hath 


husband ;  a  child  should  be  faithful 
to  a  parent,  a  clerk  and  apprentice  to 
his  employer,  a  lawyer  to  his  client, 
a  physician  to  his  patient,  an  ambas- 
sador to  the  government  that  com- 
missions liim.  No  matter  what  may 
be  the  temptations  in  the  way,  in  all 
these,  and  in  all  other  relations,  there 
should  be  inviolate  fidelity.  Tlic  wel- 
fare of  the  world  depended  on  the 
faithfiilness  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Had 
he  failed  in  that,  ail  would  have  been 
lost.  His  fidelity  was  worthy  of  the 
more  attentive  consideration  from  the 
numerous  temptations  which  beset 
his  path,  and  the  attempts  which 
were  made  to  turn  him  aside  from 
his  devotedncss  to  God.  Amidst  all 
the  temptations  of  the  adversary,  and 
all  the  trials  through  which  he  jjassed, 
he  never  for  a  moment  swerved  from 
fidelity  to  the  great  trust  which  had 
been  committed  to  his  hands.  What 
belter  example  to  preserve  them  from 
the  temptations  to  apostasy  could  the 
apostle  propose  to  the  C^hristians 
whom  he  addressed  ?  What,  in  these 
temptations  and  trials,  could  bo  more 
appropriate  than  for  them  to  "con- 
sider" the  example  of  the  great  apos- 
tle and  high  priest  of  their  profes- 
sion ?  Wh.it  more  proper  fjr  us  now 
in  the  trials  and  temptations  of  our 
hves,  than  to  keep  that  great  and  glo- 
rious example  continually  before  our 
eyes  ?  "S  As  also  Moses  was  faithful. 
Fidelity  to  God  was  remarkable  in 
Moses.  In  nil  the  provocations  and 
rebellions  of  the  Jews,  he  was  firm 
and  unwavering.  This  is  affirmed 
of  him  in  Num.  .\ii.  7,  to  which  place 
the  apostle  here  alludes,  "My  ser- 
vant, Moses,  is  not  so,  who  is  faith- 
ful in  all  his  house."  The  word 
house,  as  applied  to  Moses,  is  used 
probably  in  the  sense  of  family,  as 
it  otlen  is,  and  refers  to  the  family 
over  which  he  presided — that  is,  the 
Jew  ish  nation.  The  whole  Jewish 
people  wern  t  household,  or  the  family 


builded "  the  house  hath  more 
honour  than  the  house. 

a  Zee.  6.  12,  13. 

of  God,  and  Moses  was  appointed  to 
preside  over  it,  and  was  faithful  in 
the  functions  of  his  office  there. 

3.  For  this  man.  The  Lord  Jesus. 
The  word  ^man^  is  understood,  but 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  is  re- 
ferred  to.  ^  Was  counted  more  wor- 
thy. Was  more  worthy  ;  or  is  moro 
worthy.  The  word  here  used  dots 
not  refer  to  anything  that  had  been 
said  of  him,  or  to  any  estimate  which 
had  been  made  of  him.  It  means 
simply  that  he  was  worthy  of  more 
honour  than  Moses.  How  lie  was  so, 
Paul  proceeds  to  show.  IT  Of  more 
glory — io^rii.  Honour,  dignity,  regard. 
He  really  had  a  higher  rank,  and 
was  worthy  of  more  respect.  This 
was  saying  much  for  the  Messiah, 
and  that  it  was  proper  to  say  this, 
Paul  proceeds  to  show.  He  did  not 
attempt  in  any  way  to  undervalue 
Moses  and  his  institutions.  He  gave 
him  all  the  honour  which  the  Jews 
were  themselves  disposed  to  render 
him.  He  admitted  that  he  had  been 
eminently  faithful  in  the  station 
where  God  had  placed  him ;  and  he 
then  proceeds  to  show  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  was  entitled  to  honour  superior 
to  that,  and  that  hence  the  Christian 
religion  had  more  to  attach  its  friends 
to  it  than  the  Jewisli  had.  IT  Inas- 
much as  he  who  hath  builded  the  house. 
The  idea  here  is,  either  that  he  wlio 
is  the  maker  of  a  house — tlie  arclii. 
tect — is  worthy  of  more  respect  tlian 
the  house  itself;  or  that  he  who  is 
the  founder  of  a  family  is  worthy  of 
more  honour  than  the  family  of  which 
he  is  the  founder.  It  seems  to  mu 
that  the  former  is  the  meaning — for 
the  latter  is  not  always  true.  The 
founder  of  a  family  may  be  really 
deserving  of  much  less  respect  than 
some  of  his  descendants.  But  it  is 
always  true  that  the  architect  is  wor- 
thy of  more  respect  than  the  house 
which  he  makes.  He  exhibits  Intel- 
lect  and  skill.     The  house,  however 


A.  D.  64.} 


CHAPl'ER  III. 


79 


4  For  every  house  is  builded 


splendid,  has  neither.  The  plan  of 
the  house  was  drawn  by  him ;  its 
beauty,  its  proportions,  its  ornaments, 
are  what  ho  made  them,  and  but  for 
him  they  would  not  have  existed. 
Michael  Angelo  was  worthy  of  more 
honour  than  "  St.  Peter's"  at  Rome  ; 
and  Sir  Christopher  Wren  worthy  of 
more  than  "St.  Paul's"  at  London. 
Galileo  is  worthy  of  more  praise  tlian 
the  telescope,  and  Fulton  more  than 
a  steam-engine.  All  the  evidence  of 
skill  and  adaptedness  that  there  is  in 
the  invention  had  its  origin  in  the 
inventor  ;  all  the  beauty  of  the  statue 
or  the  temple  had  its  origin  in  the 
mind  of  him  that  designed  it.  An 
author  is  worthy  of  more  honour  than 
a  book;  and  he  that  forms  a  work  of 
art  is  worthy  of  more  respect  than 
the  work  itself  This  is  the  idea  here. 
Paul  assumes  that  all  things  owed 
their  origin  to  the  Son  of  God.  Ch. 
i.  2.  8.  10.  He  was  the  author  of  the 
universe ;  the  source  of  all  wise  and 
well-founded  systems ;  the  originator 
of  the  Jewish  dispensation  over  which 
Aloses  presided.  Whatever  beauty  or 
excellence  there  might  have  been, 
therefore,  in  that  system,  was  to  be 
traced  to  him ;  and  whatever  ability 
even  Moses  displayed  was  imparted 
by  him.  Christ  is  really  the  head  of 
the  family  over  which  Moses  presid- 
ed, and  nas  claims,  therefore,  to  high- 
er honour  as  such. 

4.  For  every  house  is  builded  by 
some  man..  The  words  in  this  verse 
are  plain,  and  the  sentiment  in  it 
clear.  The  only  difficult}'  is  in  see- 
ing  the  connexion,  and  in  understand- 
ing how  it  is  intended  to  bear  on  what 
precedes,  or  on  what  follows.  It  is 
clear  that  every  house  must  have  a 
builder,  and  equally  clear  that  God  is 
the  Creator  of  all  things.  But  what  is 
the  meaning  of  this  passage  in  this 
connexion  ?  What  is  its  bearing  on  the 
argument?  If  the  verse  was  entirely 
omitted,  and  the  fifth  verse  read  in 
connexion  with  the  third,  there  would 
be   apparently   nothing   wanting    to 


by  some  man  ;  but  he  that  built 
all  thinsfs  is  God. 


complete  the  sense  of  the  writer,  or  to 
finish  the  comparison  which  he  had 
commenced.  Various  ways  have  been 
adopted  to  explain  the  difficulty.  Per- 
haps the  following  observations  may 
remove  it,  and  express  the  true  sense. 
(1 .)  Every  family  must  have  a  founder ; 
every  dispensation  an  author ;  every 
house  a  builder.  There  must  be  some 
one,  therefore,  over  all  dispensations 
—  Ihe  old  and  the  new — the  Jewish 
and  the  Christian.  (2.)  Paul  assumes 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  divine.  He 
had  demonstrated  this  in  chap.  i.  ; 
and  he  argues  as  if  this  were  so, 
without  now  stopping  to  prove  it,  or 
even  to  affirm  it  expressly.  (3.)  God 
must  be  over  all  thinfrs.  He  is  Creator 
of  all,  and  he  must,  therefore,  be  over 
all.  As  the  Lord  Jesus,  therefore,  is 
divine,  he  must  be  over  the  Jewish 
dispensation  as  well  as  the  Christian — 
or  he  must,  as  God,  have  been  at  the 
head  of  that — or  over  his  own  family 
or  household.  (4.)  As  such,  he  must 
have  a  glory  and  honour  which  could 
not  belong  to  Moses.  He,  in  his  di- 
vine character,  was  the  Author  of 
both  the  Jewish  and  the  Christian 
dispensations,  and  he  must,  therefore, 
have  a  rank  far  superior  to  that  of 
Moses  —  wliich  was  the  point  which 
the  apostle  designed  to  illustrate. 
Tiie  meaning  of  the  whole  may  be 
thus  expressed.  '  The  Lord  Jesus  is 
worthy  of  more  honour  than  Moses. 
He  is  so,  as  the  maker  of  a  house  de- 
serves more  honour  than  tlie  house. 
He  is  divine.  In  the  beginning  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  and 
was  the  agent  in  the  creation  of  all 
things.  Ch.  i,  2.  10.  He  presides, 
therefore,  over  everything  ;  and  was 
over  the  Jewish  and  the  Christian 
dispensations  —  for  there  must  have 
been  some  one  over  them,  or  the 
author  of  them,  as  really  as  it  must 
be  true  that  every  house  is  built  hy 
some  person.  Being,  therefore,  over 
all  things,  and  at  the  head  of  all  dis- 
pensations, he  MUST  be  more  exalted 
than  Moses.'     This  seems  to  m«  to 


80 

5  And  Moses  *  verily  was 
faithful  in  all  his  house,  as  a 
servant,  *  for  a  testimony  of ' 
those  things  which  were  to  be 
spoken  after ; 

a  Nu.  12.  7.    b  Jos.  1.  2.    c  Do.  18.  15—19. 


HEBREWS.  \K.  D.  64. 

6  But  Christ  as  a  Son  '  over 
his  own  house  ;  whose  house  • 
are  we,  if  J'  we  hold  fast  the 
confidence  and  the  rejoicing  of 
tiie  hope  firm  unto  the  end. 

d  Ps.  2  7,  12.        e  1  Pe.  2.  5. 
/  Mat.  10.  SK.  c.  10.  38,  39. 


be  the  argument — an  argument  which 
is  based  on  the  supposition  that  he  is 
at  the  head  of  all  things,  and  that  he 
was  the  agent  in  the  creation  of  all 
worlds.  This  view  will  make  all 
consistent.  The  Lord  Jesus  will  be 
seen  to  have  a  claim  to  a  far  higher 
honour  than  Moses,  and  Moses  will 
he  seen  to  have  derived  his  honour, 
as  a  servant  of  the  Mediator,  in  the 
economy  which  he  had  appointed. 

5.  Moses  ■wa.s  faithful — as  a  servant. 
Not  as  the  head  of  the  dispensation  ; 
not  as  having  originated  it ;  but  as  in 
the  employ  and  under  the  direction 
of  its  great  Founder  and  Author  — 
the  Messiah.  As  such  a  servant  he 
deserves  all  the  honour  for  fidelity 
which  has  ever  been  claimed  for  him, 
but  it  cannot  be  the  honour  which  is 
due  to  him  who  is  at  the  head  of  tlic 
family  or  house.  Paul  assumed  that 
Moses  was  a  servant,  and  argued  on 
that  supposition,  witliout  attempting 
to  prove  it,  because  it  was  so  often 
aiBrmed  in  the  Old  Testament,  and 
roust  have  been  conceded  by  all  the 
Jews.  In  numerous  instances  he  is 
spoken  of  as  '  the  servant  of  the 
Lord,'  See  Josh.  i.  1,  2 ;  ix.  ^4  ;  L 
Chron.  vi.  49  ;  H.  Chron.  xxiv.  9  ; 
Neh.  X.  29  ;  Dan.  ix.  11 ;  Ex.  xiv.  31 ; 
I.  Kings  viii.  56  ;  Ps,  cv.  26.  As  this 
point  was  undisputed,  it  was  onlv 
necessary  to  show  that  the  Messiah 
was  superior  to  a  servant,  in  order  to 
make  the  argument  clear.  IT  For  a 
testimony.  To  bear  witness  to  those 
truths  which  were  to  be  revealed; 
that  is,  he  was  the  instrument  of  the 
divine  communications  to  the  people, 
or  the  medium  by  which  God  made 
his  will  known.  He  did  not  originate 
the  truths  himself;  but  he  was  the 
mere  medium  by  which  God  made 
known  his  trutli  to  his  people — a  ser- 


vant whom  He  employed  to  maka 
his  will  knowm.  The  word  'after* 
here  is  not  necessary  in  order  to  a 
just  translation  of  this  passage,  and 
obscures  the  sense.  It  does  not  mean 
that  he  was  a  witness  of  those  truths 
which  were  to  be  spoken  subsequently 
to  his  time  under  another  dispensa- 
tion, nor  those  truths  which  the  apos- 
tle proposed  to  consider  in  another 
part  of  the  epistle,  as  Doddridge  sup- 
poses; but  it  means  merely  that  Mo- 
ses  stood  forth  as  a  public  witness  of 
the  truths  which  God  designed  to  re. 
veal,  or  which  v.xrc  to  be  spoken. 
God  did  not  speak  to  his  people 
directly,  and  face  to  face,  but  he  spok« 
through  Moses  as  an  organ,  or  me 
dium.  The  sense  is,  Moses  was  » 
mere  servant  of  God  to  communicatt 
his  will  to  man. 

6.  But  Christ  as  a  Son  over  hit 
oion  house.  He  is  not  a  servant.  To 
the  wliole  household  or  family  of  God 
he  sustains  the  same  relation  which  a 
son  and  heir  in  a  family  does  to  tha 
household.  That  relation  is  far  differ 
ent  from  that  of  a  servant.  Moset 
was  the  latter  ;  Clirist  was  the  for 
mcr.  To  God  he  sustained  the  rela- 
tion of  a  Son,  and  recognised  Him 
as  his  Fatlier,  and  sought  in  all  things 
to  do  his  will ;  but  over  the  whole 
family  of  God — the  entire  Church  of 
all  dispensatio7is — he  was  like  a  son 
over  the  affairs  of  a  family.  Com- 
pared with  the  condition  ofasen'ant, 
Christ  is  as  niiach  superior  to  INIoseft 
as  a  son  and  heir  is  to  the  condition 
of  a  servant.  A  servant  owns  no- 
thing ;  is  heir  to  nothing;  has  no 
authority,  and  no  right  to  control 
anything,  and  is  himself  wholly  at 
the  will  of  another.  A  son  is  the  heif' 
of  all ;  has  a  prospective  right  to  all 
and  is  looked  up  to  by  all  witli  re 


A.  D.  C4.3 


CHAPTER  III. 


8i 


7  Wherefore,  (as   the  Holy 


a  Ps.  95.  7. 


spect.  But  the  idea  here  is  not  merely 
that  Clirist  is  a  son ;  it  is  that  as  a 
son  he  is  placed  over  the  whole  ar- 
rang-enients  of  the  household,  and  is 
one  to  whom  all  is  entrusted  as  if  it 
were  his  own.  If  Whose  house  toe 
are.  Of  whose  family  we  are  a  part, 
or  to  which  we  belong.  That  is,  we 
belong;  to  the  family  over  which 
Christ  is  placed,  and  not  to  that 
which  was  subject  to  Moses.  ^  If 
we  hold  fast.  A  leading  object  of 
this  epistle  is  to  guard  those  to  whom 
it  was  addressed  against  the  danger 
of  apostasy.  Hence  this  is  introduced 
on  all  suitable  occasions,  and  the 
apostle  here  says,  that  the  only  evi- 
dence which  they  could  have  that 
they  belonged  to  the  family  of  Christ, 
would  be  that  they  held  fast  the  con- 
fidence which  they  had  unto  the  end. 
If  they  did  not  do  that,  it  would  de- 
monstrate that  they  never  belonged 
to  his  family,  for  evidence  of  having 
belonged  to  his  household  was  to  be 
furnished  only  by  perseverance  to 
the  end.  IT  The  confidence.  The  word 
here  used  originally  means  the  liberty 
of  speaking  boldly  and  without  re- 
straint ;  then  it  means  boldness  or 
confidence  in  general.  If  And  the 
rejoicing.  The  word  here  used  means 
properly  glorying,  boasting,  and  then 
rejoicing-.  These  words  are  used 
here  in  an  adverbial  signification,  and 
the  meaning  is,  that  the  Christian  has 
a  confident  and  a  rejoicing  hope.  It 
is  (1)  confident  —  bold  —  firm.  It  is 
not  like  the  timid  hope  of  the  Pagan, 
and  the  dreams  and  conjectures  of 
the  philosopher  ;  it  is  not  that  which 
gives  way  at  every  breath  of  opposi- 
tion ;  it  is  bold,  firm,  and  manly.  It 
is  (2)  rejoicing  —  triumphant,  exult- 
ing. Why  should  not  the  hope  of 
heaven  fill  with  joy  ?  Why  should 
not  he  exult  who  has  the  prospect  of 
everlasting  happiness  ?  ^  Unto  the 
end.  To  the  end  of  life.  Our  reli- 
gion, our  hope,  our  confidence  in  God 
must  be  persevered  in  to  the  end  of 
life  •■•''  we  would  have  evidence  that 


Ghost  saith,  To-day,"  if  ye  wiU 
hear  his  voice, 


wc  are  his  children.  If  hope  is 
cherished  for  a  while  and  then  aban- 
doned ;  if  men  profess  religion  and 
then  fall  away,  no  matter  what  were 
their  raptures  and  triumphs,  it  proves 
that  they  never  had  any  real  piety. 
No  evidence  can  be  strong  enough  to 
prove  that  a  man  is  a  Christian,  unless 
it  leads  him  to  persevere  to  the  end 
ofhfe. 

7.  Wherefore.  In  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  Author  of  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation  has  a  rank  far  superior  to 
that  of  Moses.  Because  Cihrist  has 
claims  on  us  far  greater  than  tho..-.e 
which  Moses  had,  let  us  hearken  to 
his  voice,  and  dread  his  displeasure. 
If  As  the  Holy  Ghost  saith.  In  Ps. 
xcv.  7 — 11.  This  is  full  proof  that  in 
the  estimation  of  the  author  of  this 
epistle  the  writer  of  this  Psalm  was 
inspired.  The  Holy  Ghost  speaks 
through  the  word  which  he  has  re- 
vealed. The  apostle  quotes  this  pas- 
sage  and  applies  it  to  those  whom  he 
addressed,  because  the  admonition 
was  as  pertinent  and  important  under 
the  Christian  dispensation,  as  it  was 
under  the  Jewish.  The  danger  of 
hardening  the  heart  by  neglecting  to 
hear  his  voice  was  as  great,  and  the 
consequences  would  be  as  fearful  and 
alarming.  —  We  should  regard  the 
solemn  warnings  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment against  sin,  and  against  the 
danger  of  apostasy,  as  addressed  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  us.  They  are  as 
applicable  to  us  as  they  were  to  those 
to  whom  they  were  at  first  addressed ; 
and  we  need  all  the  influence  of  such 
appeals,  to  keep  us  from  apostasy  as 
much  as  they  did.  If  To-day.  Now; 
at  present.  At  the  very  time  whf  n 
the  command  is  addressed  to  you.  It 
is  not  to  oe  put  off  till  to-morrovsr. 
All  God's  commands  relate  to  the 
present — to  this  day — to  the  passing 
moment.  He  gives  us  no  commands 
about  the  future.  He  does  not  re- 
quire us  to  rejjent  and  to  turn  to  hifn 
to-morrow,  or  ten  years  hence.  The 
reasons  are  obvious.     (I.)  Duty  per 


83 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  04, 


8  Harden  not  your  hearts,  as 
in  the  provocation,  in  tiie  day 

tains  to  tlie  present.  It  is  out  duty 
to  turn  from  sin,  and  to  love  hisn  now. 
(2.)  We  know  not  that  wc  sliall  live 
to  anotlier  day.  A  command,  there- 
fore, could  not  extend  to  that  time 
unless  it  were  accompanied  with  a 
revelation  that  we  siiould  live  till 
then — and  such  a  revelation  God  docs 
not  ciioose  to  pive.  Every  one,  there- 
fore, should  Ibel  that  whatever  com- 
mands God  addresses  to  liim  are  ad- 
dressed to  him  now.  Wliatevcr  guilt 
he  incurs  by  neglecting'  those  com- 
mands is  incurred  now.  For  the  pre- 
sent neglect  and  disobedience  each 
one  is  to  answer — and  each  one  must 
give  account  to  God  for  what  lie  does 
TO-DAV.  ^  If  ye  will  hear.  In  case 
you  arc  willing  to  hearken  to  God, 
listen  now,  and  do  not  defer  it  to  a 
fiiture  period. — There  is  nmch  in  a 
willingness  to  hear  tluj  voice  of  God. 
A  willingness  to  learn  is  usually  the 
precursor  of  great  attainments  in 
knowledge.  A  willinirness  to  reform, 
is  usually  the  precursor  of  reforma- 
tion. Get  a  man  willing  to  break  off 
his  habits  of  profancncss  or  intemjje- 
rance,  and  usually  all  tlie  rest  is  easy. 
The  great  dilliculty  in  the  mind  of  a 
sinner  is  in  his  will.  He  is  unwilling 
to  hear  the  voice  of  God;  unwilling 
that  he  should  reign  over  him ;  un- 
willing now  to  attend  to  religion. 
While  this  unwillingness  lasts  he  will 
make  no  efforts,  and  he  sees,  or  cre- 
ates a  thousand  dilliculties  in  the  way 
of  his  becoming  a  Christian.  But 
when  that  unwillingness  is  overcome, 
and  he  is  disposed  to  engage  in  the 
work  of  religion,  difficulties  vanish, 
and  the  work  of  salvation  becomes 
easy.  ^  His  voice.  The  voice  of -God 
speaking  to  us  (1)  in  his  written 
word ;  ("2)  in  the  preached  gospel ; 
(3)  in  our  own  consciences;  (4)  in 
the  events  of  his  Providence  ;  (5)  in 
the  admonitions  of  our  relatives  and 
friends.  Whatever  conveys  to  us  the 
tiuth  of  God,  or  is  adapted  to  impress 
that  on  us,  may  be  regarded  as  his 
voice  speaking  to  us.  lie  thus  speaks 


of    temptation    in    the  wilder- 


ness ; 


to  U9  everij  day  in  some  of  these 
ways ;  and  every  day,  therefore,  he 
may  entreat  us  not  to  harden  our 
hearts. 

8.  Harden  not  your  hearts.  Do  not 
render  the  heart  insensible  to  the  di- 
vine voice  and  admonition.  A  hard 
heart  is  that  where  the  conscience  is 
seared  and  insensible;  where  truth 
makes  no  impression  ;  where  no  reli- 
gious etfoct  is  produced  by  afflictions ; 
where  preaching  is  listened  to  without 
interest ;  and  where  the  mind  is  un- 
atfected  by  tiie  appeals  of  friends. 
The  idea  here  is,  that  a  refusal  to 
listen  to  the  voice  of  God  is  connected 
with  a  hardening  of  the  heart.  It  is 
in  two  ways.  (1.)  The  very  refusal 
to  do  this  tends  to  harden  it.  And 
(2.)  in  order  to  resist  the  appeals  of 
God,  men  must  resort  to  the  means 
of  voluntarily  hardening  the  heart. 
This  they  do  by  setting  themselves 
against  the  truth ;  by  the  excuses 
whicli  they  offer  for  not  becoming 
Christians ;  by  plunging  into  sin  ia 
order  to  avoid  serious  impressions ; 
and  by  direct  resistance  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  No  inconsiderable  part  of  the 
efforts  of  sinners  consists  in  endea- 
vouring to  produce  insensibility  in 
their  minds  to  the  truth  and  the  ap- 
peals of  God.  If  As  in  the  provoca. 
tion.  Literally,  in  the  embittering — 
tv  Tu>  TTaouTTiKpaaiiio.  Then  it  means 
that  wiiich  embitters  or  provokes  the 
mind — as  disobedience.  Here  it  re- 
fers  to  what  tliey  did  to  embitter  the 
mind  of  God  against  them ;  that  is, 
to  the  course  of  conduct  which  was 
adopted  to  provoke  him  to  wrath. 
IT  In  the  day  of  temptation.  In  the 
lime  of  temptation  —  the  word  day 
being  used  here,  as  it  is  otlen,  to  de. 
note  an  indefinite  period,  or  time  in 
general.  The  word  temptation  iiere 
refers  to  the  various  provocations  by 
whicli  they  tried  the  patience  of  God. 
Tiiey  rebelled  against  him ;  they  did 
that  svhicli  put  the  divine  patience' 
and  forbearance  to  a  trial.  It  docs 
not  mean  tiiat  they  ♦    'k*^  0"v«»  Ut 


k.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  III. 


83 


9  When  your  fathers  tempt- 
ed me,  proved  me,  and  saw  my 
works  forty  years. 

10  Wherefore  I  was  grieved 
with  that  generation,  and  said, 

do  evil,  but  that  his  long-suffering 
was  tried  by  their  sins.  IT  /«  the 
ipilderness.  The  desert  througli  which 
they  passed.  The  word  wilderness 
in  the  Scriptures  commonly  means  a 
desert.  Sec  Notes  Matt.  iii.  1.  "One 
provocation  was  in  demanding  bread 
at  Siii ;  a  second  for  want  of  water 
at  Massah  or  Meribah ;  a  third  time 
at  Sinai  with  the  golden  calf;  a  fourth 
time  at  Taberah  for  want  of  flesh ;  a 
fifth  time  at  Kadesh  when  they  re- 
fused to  go  up  into  Canaan,  and  the 
oath  came  that  they  should  die  in  the 
wilderness.  A  like  refusal  may  pre- 
vent us  from  entering  into  rest." — 
Dr.  J.  P.  Wilson,  MS.  Notes. 

9.  Proved  me.  "  As  if  they  would 
have  made  an  experiment  how  much 
it  was  possible  for  me  to  bear."  Dod- 
dridge. The  meaning  is,  they  put 
my  patience  to  a  thorough  trial. 
If  And  saw  my  works.  That  is,  my 
miracles,  or  my  interpositions  in  their 
behalf.  They  saw  the  wonders  at 
the  Red  Sea,  the  descent  on  Mount 
Sinai,  the  supply  of  manna,  &c.,  and 
yet  while  seeing  those  works  they  re- 
belled. Even  while  sinners  looli  on 
the  doings  of  God,  and  are  surrounded 
by  the  proofs  of  his  power  and  good- 
ness, they  rebel,  and  prowke  him  to 
anger.  Men  sin  when  God  is  tilling 
their  houses  with  plenty;  when  he 
opens  his  hand  daily  to  supply  their 
wants ;  when  they  behold  tiie  mani- 
festations of  his  goodness  on  the  sea 
and  on  the  land ;  and  even  in  the  midst 
of  all  the  blessings  of  redemption, 
they  provoke  him  to  wrath.     IT  Forty 

^  years.  The  whole  time  during  which 
they  were  passing  from  Egypt  to  the 
promised  land.  This  may  jncan  either 
that  they  saw  his  works  forty  years, 
or  that  they  tempted  hioi  forty  years. 
The  sense  is  not  materially  affected 
whichever  interpretation  is  preferred. 

1 0.  Wherefore  I  was  grieved.     On 


They  do  always  err  in  their 
heart ;  and  they  have  not  known 
my  ways. 

1 1   So  I  sware  in  my  wrath, ' 

•  if  they  shall  enter. 


the  word  grieved,  see  Notes  on  Eph. 
iv.  30.  The  word  here  means  that 
he  was  offended  with,  or  that  he  was 
indignant  at  them.  IT  They  do  always 
err  in  their  heart.  Their  long  trial 
of  forty  years  had  been  sufKcient  to 
show  that  it  was  a  characteristic  of 
the  people  that  they  were  disposed  to 
wander  from  God.  Forty  years  are 
enough  to  show  what  the  character 
is.  They  had  seen  his  works  ;  they 
had  been  called  to  obey  him;  they 
had  received  his  law  ;  and  yet  their 
conduct  during  that  time  had  shown 
that  they  were  not  disposed  to  obey 
him.  So  of  an  individual.  A  man 
who  has  lived  in  sin  forty  years  ;  who 
during  all  that  time  has  rebelled 
against  God,  and  disregarded  all  his 
appeals;  who  has  lived  for  himself 
and  not  for  his  Maker,  has  shown 
what  his  character  is.  Longer  time 
is  unnecessary;  and  if  God  should 
then  cut  him  down  and  consign  him 
to  hell,  he  could  not  be  blamed  for 
doing  it.  A  man  who  during  forty 
years  will  live  in  sin,  and  resist  all 
the  appeals  of  God,  shows  what  is  in 
his  heart,  and  no  injustice  is  done  if 
then  he  is  summoned  before  God,  and 
he  swears  that  he  shall  not  enter  into 
his  rest.  1i  And  they  have  not  known 
my  ways.  They  have  been  rebel- 
lious. They  have  not  been  acquainted 
with  tlie  true  God  ;  or  they  have  not 
approved  my  doings.  The  word 
know  is  often  used  in  the  Scriptures 
in  tlie  sense  of  approving,  or  loving. 
See  Notes  Matt.  vii.  23. 

11.  So  I  sware  in  my  wrath.  God 
is  often  represented  in  the  Scriptures 
as  swearing — and  usually  as  swearing 
by  himself,  or  by  iiis  own  existence. 
Of  course  this  is  figurative,  and  de- 
notes a  strong  affirmation,  or  a  settled 
and  determined  purpose.  An  oath 
with  us  implies  the  strongest  affirma- 
tion, or  the  expression  of  tlie  most 


84 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  I).  64i 


They  shall  not   enter  into  my  [there  be  in  any  of  you  an  evil" 


rest.) 

12  Take  heed,  brethren,  lest 

a  Mar.  7.  21.  23. 


heart  of  unbelief,  in  departing  * 
from  the  living  God. 

b  Je.  2. 13. 


settled    and    determined    purpose    of 
mind.     The  meaning  here  is,  that  so 
refractory    and    perverse    had    they 
showed  themselves,  that  lie  solemnly 
resolved  that  they  should  never  enter 
into   the   land    of  Canaan.     ^  They 
thall  not  enter  into  my  rest.     Marg. 
As  in  the  original,  if  they  shall  enter. 
That  is,  they  shall  not  enter.     The 
word  (DX)  if  has  this  negative  mean- 
ing  in  Hebrew,  and  this  meaning  is 
transferred    to  the   Greek   word   if. 
Comp.  I.  Sam.  iii.  17 ;  II.  Sam.  iii.  35  ; 
II.  Kings  vi.  31.     It  is  called  'my 
rest'  here,  meaning  that  it  was  such 
rest  as  God  had  provided,  or  such  as 
he  enjoyed.     The  particular  rest  re- 
ferred to  here  was  that  of  the  land  of 
Canaan,  but  which  was  undoubtedly 
regarded  as  emblematic  of  the  '  resV 
in  heaven.     Into  that   rest  God    so- 
lemnly said  they  should  never  enter. 
They  had    been  rebellious.     All  the 
means  of  reclaiming  them  had  failed. 
God  had  warned  and  entreated  them ; 
he  had  caused  his  mercies   to  pass 
before  them,  and    had  visited   them 
with  judgments  in  vain  ;  and  he  now 
declares    that  for  all   their   rebellion 
they   should    be    excluded    from    the 
promised  land.     God  speaks  here  in 
the  manner  of  men.    Men  are  affected 
with  feelings  of  indignation  in  such 
circumstances,  and  God    makes  use 
of  such  language  as  expresses  such 
feelings.     But  we  are  to  understand 
it  in  a  manner    consistent  with  his 
character,  and  we  are  not  to  suppose 
that    he    is   affected  with    the    same 
emotions  which  agitate    the  bosoms 
of  men.     The    meaning    is,  that  he 
formed  and  expressed  a  deliberate  and 
solemn  purpose  that  they  sliould  never 
enter  into  the  promised  land.  Whether 
this  rest  refers  here  to  heaven,  and 
whether    the    meaning    is   that  God 
would  exclude  them  from  that  blessed 
world,  will    be    more   appropriately 


considered  in  the  next  chapter.  The 
particular  idea  is,  that  they  were  to  be 
excluded  from  the  promised  land,  and 
that  they  should  fall  in  the  wilder- 
ness. No  one  can  doubt,  also,  that 
their  conduct  had  been  such  as  to 
show  that  the  great  body  of  them 
were  unfit  to  enter  into  heaven. 

12.   Take  heed,  brethren.     Iri  view 
of  the  conduct  of  the  rebellious  Jews, 
and  of  their  fearful  doom,  be  on  j'our 
guard  lest  you  also  be  found  to  have 
had    the    same   feelings   of  rebellion 
and  unbelief.     See  to  it,  that  under 
the  new  dispensation,  and  in  the  en- 
joyment of  the  privileges  of  the  gos- 
pel, you  be  not  found  to  manifest  such 
feelings  as  shall  exclude  )'ou  from  the 
heavenly  world.     The   principle  has 
been    settled    by  their   unbelief  that 
they  who  oppose  God  will  be  excluded 
from  his  rest.     That  may  be  shown 
under    all  dispensations,   and   in  all 
circumstances,  and  there  is  not  less 
danger  of  it  under  the  gospel  than 
there  was  wlien  the  fathers  were  con- 
ducted to  the  promised  land.     You 
are  travelling  through  a  wilderness — 
the  barren  wilderness  of  this  world. 
You  arc  exposed  to  trials  and  temp, 
tations.     You    meet   with    many   a. 
deadly  and   mighty  foe.     You   have 
hearts  prone  to  apostasy  and  sin.   You 
are  seeking  a  land  of  promise  ;  a  land 
of  rest.     You  are  surrounded  by  the 
vi-onders  of  Almighty  power,  and  by 
the    proofs    of   infinite    beneficence. 
Disobedience    and    rebellion    in   you 
will   as   certainly  exclude   you   from 
heaven   as  their   rebellion  did  them 
from  the  promised  land;  and  as  their 
great  sin   was   unbelief,  be   on  your 
guard   lest  you   manifest   the    same. 
IT  An  evil  heart  of  unbelief.     An  evil, 
unbelieving  heart.     The  word  unbe- 
lief is  used  to  qualify  the  word  heart, 
by  a  Hebraism  —  a  mode  of  speech 
that  is  common  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment.    An  unbelieving  heart  was  the 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  III. 


85 


13  But  exhort"  one  another 
daily,  while  it  is  called  To-day  ; 


a  c.  10.  24. 


lest    any  of  you    be    hardened 
through    the    deceitfulness    of 


sin. 


cause    of  their   apostasy,   and  what 
worked  their  ruin  will  produce  ours. 
The  root  of  their  evil  was  a  want  of 
confidence  in  God — and  this  is  what 
is  meant  here  by  a  heart  of  unbelief. 
The  great  difficulty  on  earth  every- 
where is  a  leant  of  confidence  in  God 
— and  this  has  produced  all  the  ills 
that  man  has  ever  sutfered.     It  led 
to  the  first  apostasy ;  and  it  has  led 
to  every  other  apostasy — and  will  con- 
tinue to  produce  the  same  effects  to 
the  end  of  the  world.     The   apostle 
says  that   this    heart  of  unbelief  is 
"  evil."     Men  often  feel  that  it  is  a 
matter  of  little  consequence  whether 
they  have  faith  or  not,  provided  their 
conduct  is  right ;  and  hence  they  do 
not  see  or  admit  the  propriety  of  what 
is  said  about  the  consequences  of  un- 
belief in  the  Scriptures.     But  what 
do  they  say  about  a  want  of  confi- 
dence between  a  husband  and  wife  ? 
Are  there  no  evils  in  that?     What 
liusband  can  sleep  with  quietness  on 
his  pillow,  if  he  has  no  confidence  in 
the  virtue  of  his  wife  ?     What  child 
can  have  peace  who  has  no  confidence 
in  a  parent  ?    How  can  there  be  pros- 
perity in  a  community  where  there 
is  no  confidence  in  a  bank,  or  an  in- 
surance office,  or  where  one  merchant 
has  no  confidence  in  another ;  where 
a  neighbour  has  no  confidence  in  his 
neighbour ;  where  the  sick   have  no 
confidence  in  a  physician,  and  where 
in  general  all  confidence  is  broken  up 
between  man  and  man  ?    If  I  wished 
to  produce  the  deepest  distress  in  any 
community,  and   had   the    power,   I 
would  produce  the  same  want  of  con- 
fidence between  man  and  man  which 
there  is  now  between  man  and  his 
Maker.  I  would  thus  take  away  sleep 
fi'om  the  pillow  of  every  husband  and 
wife ;  every   parent   and    child ;  and 
make  every  man  wretched  with  the 
feeling  that  all  the  property  which  he 
Had  was  insecure.     Among  men,  no- 
thing is  seen  to  be  productive  of  great- 
8 


er  evil  than  a  want  of  confidence  or 
faith — and  why  should  not  the  same 
evil  exist  in  the  divine  administration? 
And  if  want  of  confidence  produces 
such  results  between  man  and  man, 
why  should  it  not  produce  similar,  or 
greater,  miseries  where  it  occurs  in 
relation  to  God  ?  There  is  not  an 
evil  that  man  endures  which  might  not 
be  alleviated  or  removed  by  confidence 
in  God ;  and  hence  one  great  object 
of  the  Christian  religion  is,  to  restore 
to  man  his  lost  confidence  in  the  God 
that  made  him.  IT  In  departing  from 
the  living  God.  Manifested  in  de- 
parting from  him ;  or  leading  to  a 
departure  from  him.  The  idea  is,  that 
such  a  heart  of  unbelief  would  be 
connected  with  apostasy  from  God. 
All  apostasy  first  exists  in  the  heart, 
and  then  is  manifested  in  the  life. 
They  who  indulge  in  unbelief  in  any 
form,  or  in  regard  to  any  subject, 
should  remember  that  this  is  the  great 
source  of  all  alienation  from  God, 
and  that  if  indulged  it  will  lead  to 
complete  apostasy.  They  who  wish 
to  live  a  life  of  piety  should  keep  the 
heart  right.  He  that  lives  "  by  the 
faith  of  the  Son  of  God"  is  safe ;  and 
none  is  safe  but  he. 

13.  But  exhort  one  another  daily. 
This  is  addressed  to  the  members  of 
the  churches;  and  it  follows,  there- 
fore, (1)  that  it  is  their  duty  to  ex- 
hort their  brethren  ;  and  (2)  that  it  is 
their  duty  to  do  it  daily  ;  that  is,  con- 
stantly. See  ch.  x.  24 ;  I.  Thess.  iv. 
18  ;  v.  II ;  Note  Rom.  xii.  8.  While 
this  is  the  special  duty  of  the  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel  (I.  Tim.  vi.  2 ;  II. 
Tim.  iv.  2  ;  ~Titus  ii.  6.  15),  it  is  also 
the  duty  of  all  the  members  of  the 
churches,  and  a  most  important,  but 
much-neglected  duty.  This  does  not 
refer  to  public  exhortation,  which 
more  appropriately  pertains  to  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  but  A.o  that 
private  watch  and  care  which  the  in- 
dividual  members  of  Uie  church  should 


8a 


IIEBKEWS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


have  over  one  another.  But  in  what 
cases  is  such  exhortation  proper  ? 
Whjt  rules  should  roirulatc  it?  I  an- 
swer, it  may  be  regarded  as  a  duty, 
or  is  to  be  [jerlbrnied  in  sueii  cases  as 
the  followinjj.  (1.)  Intimate  friends 
in  the  church  should  exhort  and  coun- 
sel one  another ;  should  admoniKli 
each  other  of  their  faults  ;  and  siiould 
aid  one  another  in  the  divine  life. 
(2.)  Parents  should  do  the  same  thing- 
to  their  children.  TJicy  are  placed 
particularly  under  their  watcli  and 
care.  A  pastor  cannot  often  see  the 
members  of  his  flock  in  [)rivale  ;  and 
a  parent  may  greatly  aid  liim  in  liis 
work  by  watching  over  the  members 
of  their  families  who  are  connected 
with  the  church.  (3.)  Sabbath-school 
teachers  may  aid  much  in  this  duty. 
They  are  to  be  assistants  to  parents 
and  to  pastors.  They  often  have  un- 
der their  care  youthful  members  of 
the  churches.  They  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  knowing  their  state  of  mind, 
their  temptations,  and  their  dangers 
better  than  the  pastor  can  have.  It 
«hould  be  theirs,  therefore,  to  exhort 
them  to  a  holy  life.  (4.)  The  aged 
should  exhort  the  young.  Every  aged 
Christian  may  thus  do  much  for  the 
promotion  of  religion.  His  experi- 
ence is  the  property  of  the  church ; 
and  he  is  bound  so  to  employ  it  as  to 
be  useful  in  aiding  the  feeble,  reclaim- 
ing the  wandering,  recovering  the 
backslider,  and  directing  the  inquir- 
ing. There  is  a  vast  amount  of  spir- 
itual capital  of  this  kind  in  the  church 
that  is  unemployed,  and  that  might 
be  made  eminently  useful  in  helping 
others  to  heaven.  (5.)  Church  mem- 
bers should  exhort  one  another.  There 
may  not  be  the  intimacy  of  personal 
friendship  among  all  the  members  of 
a  large  cliurcli,  but  still  the  connex- 
ion between  them  should  be  regarded 
as  sufficiently  tender  and  confidential 
to  make  it  proper  for  any  one  to  ad- 
monish a  brother  who  goes  astray. 
Tliey  belong  to  the  same  communion. 
They  sit  down  at  tlie  same  supper  of 
the  Lord.  They  express  their  as.^ent 
to  the  same  articles  of  faith.  They 
are  regarded  by  the  community  as  uni- 


ted.   Eacli  member  sustains  a  portion 

of  the  honour  and  the  responsibility 
of  tlie  whole ;  and  each  meniber  should 
feel  that  he  has  a  right,  and  that  it 
is  his  duty  to  admonish  a  brother 
if  he  goes  astra}'.  Yet  this  duty  is 
greatly  neglected.  In  what  church 
is  it  performed  ?  How  often  do  church 
members  see  a  fellow-member  go 
astray  without  any  exhortation  or 
admonition  I  How  often  do  they  hear 
reports  of  the  inconsistent  lives  of 
other  members,  and  perhaps  contri- 
bute  to  the  circulation  of  those  reports 
themselves,  without  any  pains  taken 
to  inquire  whether  they  are  true ! 
How  often  do  the  poor  fear  the  rich 
members  of  the  church,  or  the  rich 
despise  the  poor,  and  see  one  another 
live  in  sin,  without  any  attempt  to 
entreat  or  save  them  I  I  would  not 
have  the  courtesies  of  life  violated.  I 
would  not  have  any  assume  a  dog- 
matical or  dictatorial  air.  I  would 
have  no  one  step  out  of  his  proper 
sphere  of  life.  But  the  principle  which 
I  would  lay  down  is,  that  the  fact  of 
church  membership  should  inspire 
such  confidence  as  to  make  it  proper 
for  one  member  to  exhort  another 
whom  he  sees  going  astray.  Belong, 
ing  to  the  same  family  ;  having  the 
same  interest  in  religion  ;  and  all  suf- 
fcring  when  one  suifers,  why  should 
they  not  be  allowed  tenderly  and  kind- 
ly to  exhort  one  another  to  a  holy  life  ? 
IT  While  it  is  called  To-day.  While 
life  lasts ;  or  wliile  you  may  be  per- 
mitted to  use  the  language  '  To-day 
hciir  the  voice  of  God.'  'I'he  idea  is, 
that  the  exhortation  is  not  to  be  inter- 
mitted. It  is  to  be  our  daily  business 
to  admonish  and  exhort  one  another. 
Christians  are  liable  every  day  to  go 
astray ;  every  day  they  need  aid  in 
the  divine  life ;  and  they  who  are  fel- 
low-heirs with  tlicm  of  salvafion 
should  be  ever  ready  to  counsel  and 
advise  them.  If  Lest  any  of  you  be 
hardened.  Notes  on  ver.  i^.  It  is  pos- 
silile  tor  Christians  to  become  in  a 
sense  hardened.  Their  minds  become 
less  sensitive  than  they  were  to  the. 
claims  of  duty,  and  tlieir  consciences 
become  less  tender.     Hence  the  pro- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  III. 


87 


14  For  we  are  made  partak- 
ers of  Christ,  if"  we  hold  the 


a  ver.  6. 


priety  of  mulual  exhortation,  that 
they  may  always  have  the  right  feel- 
ing-, and  may  always  listen  to  the 
commands  of  God.  IT  The  deceitful- 
vess  of  sin.  Notes  on  Eph.  iv.  22. 
Sin  is  always  deceitful.  It  promises 
more  than  it  performs.  It  assures  us 
of  pleasure  which  it  never  imparts. 
It  leads  us  on  beyond  what  was  sup- 
posed when  we  began  to  indulge  in 
it.  The  man  who  commits  sin  is 
always  under  a  delusion ;  and  sin,  if 
he  indulges  it,  will  lead  him  on  from 
one  step  to  another  until  the  heart 
becomes  entirely  hardened.  Sin  puts 
on  plausible  appearances  and  pre- 
tences ;  it  assumes  the  name  of  vir- 
tue ;  it  offers  excuses  and  palliations, 
until  the  victim  is  snared,  and  thea 
spell-bound  he  is  hurried  on  to  every 
excess.  If  sin  was  always  seen  in 
its  true  aspect  when  man  is  tempted 
to  commit  it,  it  would  be  so  hateful 
that  he  would  flee  fi:om  it  with  the 
utmost  abhorrence.  What  young 
man  would  become  a  drunkard  if  he 
saw  when  he  began  exactly  the  career 
which  he  would  run  ?  What  young 
man,  now  vigorous  and  healthfiil,  and 
with  fair  prospects  of  usefulness  and 
happiness,  would  ever  touch  the  in- 
toxicating bowl,  if  he  saw  what  he 
would  be  when  he  became  a  sot  ? 
What  man  would  ever  enter  the  room 
of  the  gambler  if  he  saw  just  where 
indulgence  would  soon  lead  him,  and 
if  at  the  commencement  he  saw  ex- 
actly the  wo  and  despair  which  would 
inevitably  ensue  ?  Who  would  be- 
come a  voluptuary  and  a  sensualist, 
if  he  saw  exactly  the  close  of  such  a 
career  ?  Sin  deceives,  deludes,  blinds. 
Men  do  not,  or  will  not,  see  the  fear- 
ful results  of  indulgence.  They  are 
deluded  by  the  hope  of  happiness  or 
of  gain  ;  they  are  drawn  along  by  the 
fascinations  and  allurements  of  plea- 
sure until  the  heart  becomes  hard 
and  the  conscience  seared — and  then 
tliey    give    way    without     remorse. 


beginning    of    our   confidence 
steadfast  unto  the  end  ; 


From  such  a  course,  the  apostle  would 
have  Christians  guarded  by  kind  and 
affectionate  exhortation.  Each  one 
should  feel  that  he  has  an  interest  in 
keeping  his  brother  from  such  a  doom ; 
and  each  Cliristian  thus  in  danger 
should  be  willing  to  listen  to  the  kind 
exhortation  of  a  Christian  brother. 

14.  For  we  are  made  partakers  of 
Christ.  We  are  spiritually  united  to 
the  Saviour.  We  become  one  with 
him.  We  partake  of  his  spirit  and 
his  allotments.  The  sacred  writers 
are  accustomed  to  describe  the  Chris- 
tian as  being  closely  united  to  the  Sa- 
viour, and  as  being  one  with  him. 
See  Notes  on  John  xv.  1 — 7  ;  xvii.  21. 
23 ;  Eph.  V.  .30  ;  I.  Cor.  xii.  27.  The 
idea  is,  that  we  participate  in  all  that 
pertains  to  him.  It  is  a  union  of 
feeling  and  affection  ;  a  union  of  prin- 
ciple and  of  congeniality ;  a  union 
of  dependence  as  well  as  love ;  a 
union  where  nothing  is  to  be  impart- 
ed by  us,  but  everything  gained  ;  and 
a  union,  therefore,  on  the  part  of  the 
Redeemer  of  great  condescension. 
It  is  the  union  of  the  branch  to  the 
vine,  where  the  branch  is  supported 
and  nourished  by  the  vine,  and  not 
the  union  of  the  ivy  and  the  oak, 
where  the  ivy  has  its  own  roots,  and 
merely  clings  around  the  oak  and 
climbs  up  upon  it.  What  else  can  be 
said  so  honourable  of  man  as  that 
he  is  'a  partaker  of  Christ ;'  that  he 
shares  his  feelings  here,  and  that  he 
is  to  share  his  honours  in  a  brighter 
world  ?  Compared  with  this,  what  is 
it  to  participate  with  the  rich  and  the 
gay  in  their  pleasures  ;  what  would  it 
be  to  share  in  the  honours  of  conquer- 
ors and  kings  1'ilfwe  hold  the  begin, 
ning  of  our  confidence  steadfast.  See 
Note  ver.  6.  If  we  continue  tp  maintain 
the  same  confidence  which  we  had  in 
the  beginning,  or  which  we  sliowed  at 
the  commencement  of  our  Christian 
life.  At  first,  they  had  been  firm  in  the 
Christian  hope.     They  evinced  true 


88 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


and  strong  attachment  to  the  Re- 
deemer.  Tliey  were  ardent  and  de- 
voicd  to  his  cause.  If  they  continued 
to  maintain  tliat  to  the  end,  that  is, 
th".  end  of  life  ;  if  in  llie  midst  of  all 
teu\ptations  and  trials  tiiey  adliered 
inllexibly  to  the  cause  of  the  Saviour, 
they  would  show  that  they  were  true 
Christians,  and  would  partake  of  the 
blessedness  of  the  heavenly  world 
with  the  licdecmer.  The  idea  is, 
that  it  is  only  p^T.soverance  in  the 
ways  of  relijri  lu  that  constitutes  cer- 
tain evidence  of  piety.  Where  piety 
is  manifested  through  life,  or  where 
there  is  an  untiring  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  God,  there  the  evidence  is 
clear  and  undoubted.  But  where 
there  is  at  first  great  ardour,  zeal, 
and  confidence,  which  soon  dies  away, 
then  it  is  clear  that  they  never  had  any 
real  attachment  to  him  and  liis  cause. 
It  may  be  remarked  here,  that  the 
'  beginning  of  the  confidence'  of  those 
who  are  deceived,  and  who  know  no- 
thing about  religion  at  heart,  is  often 
as  bold  as  where  there  is  true  piety. 
The  hypocrite  makes  up  in  ardour 
what  he  lacks  in  sincerity  ;  and  he 
who  is  really  deceived,  is  usually  de- 
ceived under  the  influence  of  some 
strong  and  vivid  emotion,  which  he 
mistakes  for  true  religion.  Often  the 
sincere  convert  is  calm,  though  de- 
cided, and  sometimes  is  even  timo- 
rous and  doubting ;  while  the  self-de- 
ceiver is  noisy  in  profession,  and  cla- 
morous in  his  zeal,  and  much  dis- 
posed to  blame  the  lukewarmness  of 
others.  Evidence  of  piety,  therefore, 
should  not  be  built  on  that  early, 
zoal ;  nor  should  it  be  concluded  that 
because  there  is  ardour,  there  is  of 
necessity  genuine  religion.  Ardour 
is  valuable,  and  true  religion  is  ar- 
dent ;  but  there  is  other  ardour  than 
that  which  the  gospel  inspires.  The 
evidence  of  genuine  piety  is  to  be 
found  in  that  which  will  bear  us 
up  under  trials,  and  endure  amidst 
persecution  and  opposition.  The  doc- 
trine here  is,  that  it  is  necessary  to 
persevere  if  we  would  have  the  evi- 
dence of  true  piety.  This  doctrine 
is  taught  everywhere   in  the    Scrip- 


tures. Persevere  in  what  ?  I  answer, 
not  (1.)  merely  in  a  profession  of  re- 
ligioUj,  A  man  may  do  that  and  have 
no  piety.  (2.)  Not  in  zeal  for  party, 
or  sect.  The  Pharisees  had  that  to 
the  end  of  their  lives.  (.3.)  Not  in 
mere  honesty,  and  correctness  of  ex- 
ternal deportment.  A  man  may  do 
that  in  the  church,  as  well  as  out  of 
it,  and  yet  have  no  religion.  But  we 
should  persevere  (1.)  in  the  love  of 
God  and  of  Ciirist — in  conscious,  ar- 
dent,  steady  attachment  to  Him  to 
whom  our  lives  arc  professedly  de- 
voted. {2.)  In  the  secret  duties  of 
religion.  In  that  watchfulness  over 
the  heart ;  that  communion  with  God  ; 
that  careful  study  of  the  Bible;  that 
guardianship  over  the  temper ;  and 
in  that  habitual  intercourse  with  , 
God  in  secret  prayer  which  is  ap- 
propriate to  a  Cliristian,  and  which 
marks  the  Christian  character.  (3.) 
In  the  performance  of  the  public  du- 
ties of  religion ;  in  leading  a  Chris, 
tian  life — as  distinguished  fi-om  a  life 
of  worldliness  and  vanity ;  a  life  of 
mere  morality,  and  honesty ;  a  life 
such  as  thousands  lead  who  are  out 
of  the  church.  There  is  someth?ng 
which  distinguishes  a  Christian  from 
one  who  is  not  a  Christian ;  a  reli- 
gions from  an  irreligious  man.  There 
is  something  in  religion;  something 
which  serves  to  characterize  a  Chris- 
tian, and  unless  that  something  is 
manifested,  there  can  be  no  evidence 
of  true  piety.  The  Christian  is  to  be 
distinguished  in  temper,  feeling,  de- 
portment, aims,  plans,  from  the  men 
of  this  world — and  unless  those  cha- 
racteristics are  shown  in  the  life  and 
deportment,  there  can  be  no  well- 
founded  evidence  of  religion.  Learn 
(1.)  that  it  is  not  mere  feeling  that 
furnishes  evidence  of  religion.  (2.) 
That  it  is  not  mere  excitement  that 
constitutes  religion.  (.3.)  That  it  is 
not  mere  ardour.  (4.)  That  it  is  not 
mere  zeal.  All  these  may  be  tempo- 
rary. Religion  is  something  t(^at  lasts 
through  life.  It  goes  with  a  man 
everywhere.  It  is  with  him  in  trial. 
It  forms  his  plans ;  regulates  his  tem- 
per; Kuggfists  his  words;  prompts  to 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  III. 


89 


15  While  it  is  said, "  To-day 
if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden 

a  ver.  7.  b  Nu.  14.  2,  ifcc. 


his  actions.  It  lives  with  him  in  all 
his  external  changes,  and  goes  with 
him  through  the  dark  valley  of  death, 
and  accompanies  him  up  to  the  bar 
of  God,  and  is  with  him  for  ever. 

15.  While  it  is  said,  Today,  &c. 
That  is,  persevere  as  long  as  life  lasts, 
or  as  long  as  it  can  be  said  '  to-day ;' 
and  by  persevering  in  this  manner 
you  will  have  evidence  that  you  are 
the  friends  of  the  Redeemer.  This 
is  a  quotation  from  Ps.  xcv.  7.  Paul 
means,  undoubtedly,  to  make  use  of 
this  language  himself  as  a  direct  ex- 
hortation to  the  Christians  to  v/hom 
he  was  writing.  He  entreats  them, 
therefore,  as  long  as  it  could  be  said 
'  to-day,'  or  as  long  as  life  lasted,  to 
take  care  lest  they  should  harden 
their  hearts  as  had  been  done  in  the 
temptation  in  the  wilderness. 

16.  For  some.  Some  of  the  He- 
brews who  came  out  of  Egypt.  The 
truth  was  that  a  large  proportion  of 
them  rebelled  against  God,  and  pro- 
voked him  to  indignation.  It  is  some- 
what remarkable  that  though  all  the 
Hebrews  seem  to  have  joined  in  the 
provocation  —  except  a  very  small 
number — Paul  should  have  used  lan- 
guage which  would  seem  to  imply 
that  the  number  which  rebelled  was 
comparatively  small.  Another  ver- 
sion, therefore,  has  been  given  to  this 
passage  by  some  of  the  most  eminent 
critics,  consisting  merely  in  a  change 
in  the  punctuation,  by  which  a  dif- 

I    ferent  view  is  given  of  the  whole  sen- 
tence.    According  to  this  it  would  be 
a  question,    and  would    mean,  '  But 
who  were  they  who  when  they  had 
[heard  did  provoke  ?     Were  they  not 
f   all  indeed  who  came    out  of  Egypt 
under  Mpses  ?     And  with  whom  was 
he  angry  forty  years  ?     Was  it  not 
witli  those  who  sinned,  whose    car- 
casses fell  in  the  wilderness  ?'     This 
version  was  adopted  by  Chrysostom, 
Theodoret,  and  others  of  the  Fathers ; 
and  is  adopted  by  Rosenmiiller,  Clarke, 
8* 


not  your  hearts,  as  in  the  pro- 
vocation. 

16  For*   some,    when    they 


Stuart,  Pyle,  and  some  others.  In 
favour  of  it,  it  may  be  alleged,  (1) 
that  the  Greek  will  bear  it,  all  the 
change  required  being  in  the  punctu- 
ation ;  (2)  that  it  avoids  the  difficulty 
which  exists  in  the  other  interpreta- 
tion, of  supposing  the  apostle  to  imply 
that  but  lew  of  them  rebelled,  when 
the  truth  was  that  it  was  nearly  all ; 
(3)  it  thus  accords  with  the  remainder 
of  the  exhortation,  which  consists  in 
a  series  of  questions  ;  and  (4)  it  agrees 
with  the  scope  and  design  of  the  whole. 
The  object  was  not  to  state  that  it 
was  not  all  who  came  out  of  Egypt 
that  rebelled,  or  that  the  number  was 
small,  but  that  the  great  body  of  them 
rebelled  and  fell  in  the  wilderness, 
and  that  Christians  should  be  admo- 
nished by  their  example.  These  rea- 
sons seem  to  be  so  strong  as  to  make 
it  probable  that  this  is  the  true  con- 
struction, and  the  sense  then  will  be, 
'  For  who  were  they  that  having 
heard  did  provoke  ?  Were  they  not 
all  who  came  out  of  Egypt  under 
Moses  ?'  IT  When  they  had  heard 
Had  heard  God  speaking  to  them, 
and  giving  them  his  commands 
^  Did  provoke.  Provoked  him  to  an- 
ger; or  their  conduct  was  such  as 
was  fitted  to  produce  indignation. 
See  Note  on  ver.  8.  IT  Howheil.  KX\d. 
But.  This  particle  "  in  a  series  of 
questions,  and  standing  at  the  head 
of  a  question,  means  6M<,/MriAer.  It 
serves  to  connect,  and  give  intensity 
to  the  interrogation."  Stuart.  Paul 
means  to  ask  with  emphasis  whethei 
the  great  mass  of  those  who  came 
out  of  Egypt  did  not  apostatize  ?  At 
the  same  time  he  means  to  intimate 
that  there  is  no  security  that  they 
who  have  witnessed  remarkable  ma- 
nifestations of  the  greatness  of  God, 
and  who  have  partaken  of  extraordi- 
nary  mercies,  will  not  apostatize  and 
perish.  As  the  Hebrews,  who  heard 
God  speak  from  Mount  Sinai,  revolted 
and   perished,  so  it  is  possible   that 


90 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


had  heard,  did  provoke :  how- 
beit  not  all  that  came  out  of 
Egypt  by  Moses. 

17  But  with  whom  was  he 
grieved  forty  years  1  was  it  not 

they  who  witness  the  mercies  of  God 
in  redemption,  may  be  in  danger  of 
abusing  all  those  mcreies,  and  of  pe- 
rishing. By  the  example,  therefore, 
of  the  disobedient  Israelites,  he  would 
admonisii  professed  Christians  of  their 
danger.  ^  Not  all,  &,c.  According 
to  the  interpretation  proposed  above, 
'  Were  they  not  all  who  came  out  of 
Egypt  ?'  Or  '  did  not  all  who  came 
out  of  Egypt?'  Ttie  word  all  here 
is  not  to  be  taken  in  the  strict  sense. 
It  is  often  used  to  denote  the  great 
body ;  a  large  proportion ;  or  vast 
multitudes.  Thus  it  is  used  in  Matt, 
iii.  5.  "  Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusa- 
lem, and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region 
round  about  Jordan."  So  in  John 
iii.  26.  "  The  same  baptizcth,  and  all 
men  came  to  him."  So  Pliil.  ii.  21. 
"  For  all  seek  their  own."  II.  Cor. 
iii.  2.  "  Ye  tare  our  epistle,  known 
and  read  of  all  men."  In  fact  there 
were  two  exceptions  —  and  but  two 
—  of  the  adults  who  came  out  of 
Egypt — Caleb  and  Joshua.  Num. 
xiv.  30.  All  the  others  murmured 
against  the  Lord,  and  were  prohibited 
from  entering  the  promised  land.  Of 
the  great  multitudes  who  came  out 
of  Egypt,  and  who  murmured,  the 
exception  was  so  small  that  the  apos- 
tle had  no  scruple  in  saying  in  general 
that  they  were  all  rebellious. 

17.  But  with  whom  teas  he  grieved 
forty  years  7  With  whom  was  he 
angry.  See  Notes  on  ver.  10.  11^  Was 
it  not  with  them  that  had  sinned.  That 
had  sinned  in  various  ways — by  re- 
bellion, murmuring,  unbelief.  As 
God  was  angry  with  them  for  their 
Bins,  we  have  the  same  reason  to  ap- 
prehend that  he  will  be  angry  with 
«*  if  we  sin  ;  and  we  should,  there- 
fore, be  on  our  guard  against  that  un- 
belief which  would  lead  us  to  depart 
from  him.  Ver.  12.  ^  Whose  car- 
cases fell,  &-C.     Num.  xiv.  29.     That 


with  them  that  had  sinned, 
whose  carcases"  fell  in  the  wil- 
derness. 

18  And  to  whom  sware  *  he 

a  Nu.  2fi.  W,  C5.  Jude  5.     b  De.  1.  34,  35. 

is,  they  all  died,  and  were  left  on  the 
sands  of  the  desert.  The  whole  gene 
ration  was  strewed  along  in  the  way 
to  Canaan.  All  of  those  who  liad  seen 
the  wonders  that  God  had  done  "  in 
tile  land  of  Ham ;"  who  had  been 
rescued  in  so  remarkable  a  manner 
from  oppression,  were  thus  cut  down, 
and  died  in  the  deserts  through 
which  they  were  passing.  Num.  xxvi. 
64,  65.  Such  an  example  of  the 
effects  of  revolt  against  God,  and  of 
unbelief,  was  well  fitted  to  admonish 
Christians  in  the  time  of  the  apostle, 
and  is  fitted  to  admonish  us  now,  of 
the  danger  of  the  sin  of  unbelief  W^e 
are  not  to  suppose  that  all  of  those 
who  thus  died  were  excluded  from 
heaven.  Moses  and  Aaron  were 
among  the  number  of  those  who  were 
not  permitted  to  enter  the  promised 
land,  but  of  their  piety  there  can  be 
no  doubt.  Beyond  all  question,  also, 
there  were  many  others  of  that  genu- 
ration  wlio  were  truly  pious.  But  aV 
different  times  they  seem  all  to  have 
partaken  of  the  prevalent  feelings  of 
discontent,  and  were  all  involved  in 
the  sweeping  condemnation  tliat  they 
should  die  in  the  wilderness. 

18.  And  to  whotn  sware  he.  Note 
ver.  11.  H  But  to  them  that  believed 
not.  That  did  not  confide  in  God. 
Dciit.  i.  32.  "  Yet  in  this  thing  ije 
did  not  believe  the  Lord  your  God." 
In  consequence  of  this  want  of  faith, 
God  solemnly  sware  unto  them  tliat 
they  should  not  enter  into  the  pro- 
mised land.  Deut.  i.  34,  35.  "  And 
the  Lord  heard  the  voice  of  your 
words,  and  was  wroth,  and  sware, 
saying.  Surely  there  shall  not  one  of 
these  men  of  this  evil  generation,  see 
that  good  land  wliich  I  sware  to  give 
unto  your  fathers,  save  Caleb,"  &-c. 
The  distinct  reason,  therefore,  as- 
signed b}'  .Moses  why  they  did  nol 
cuter  the  promised  land,  was  a  want 


A.  D,  64.] 


CHAPTER  III. 


91 


that  they  should  not  enter  into 
his  rest,  but  to  them  that  be- 
lieved not? 

of  faith,  and  this  accords  directly  with 
the  design  of  the  apostle  here.  He  is 
exhorting  those  whom  he  addressed 
to  beware  of  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief 
Ver.  1'2.  He  says  that  it  was  such  a 
heart  that  excluded  the  Hebrews  from 
the  promised  land.  The  same  thing, 
says  he,  must  exclude  you  from  hea- 
ven — the  promised  home  of  the  be- 
liever ;  and  if  that  firm  confidence  in 
God  and  his  promises  which  he  re- 
quires is  wanting,  you  will  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  world  of  eternal  rest. 
19.  So  we  see,  &;c.  We  see  from 
the  direct  testimony  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament that  unbelief  was  the  reason 
why  they  were  excluded  from  the 
promised  land.  Let  us  learn  in  view 
of  the  reasoning  and  exhortations 
here, 

(1.)  The  evil  of  unbelief  It  ex- 
cluded that  whole  generation,  consist- 
ing of  many  hundred  thousand  souls, 
from  the  land  of  promise — the  land 
to  which  they  had  looked  with  ardent 
hopes,  and  with  warm  desires.  It 
will  exclude  countless  millions  from 
heaven.  A  want  of  confidence  in  God 
is  the  great  source  of  evil  in  this 
world,  and  will  be  the  cause  of  wretch- 
edness to  all  eternity  of  unnumbered 
hosts.  But  surely  that  was  not  a 
small  or  unimportant  thing  which 
strewed  the  desert  with  the  bones  of 
that  whole  generation  whom  God 
had  in  so  remarkable  a  manner  res- 
cued from  Egyptian  servitude.  And 
that  cannot  be  a  small  matter  which 
will  cause  multitudes  to  sink  down 
to  infinite  wretchedness  and  despair. 
(2.)  Let  us  who  are  professed 
^  Christians  be  cautious  against  in- 
dulging unbelief  in  our  hearts.  Our 
difficulties  all  begin  there.  We  lose 
confidence  in  God.  We  doubt  his 
promises,  his  oaths,  his  threatenings. 
In  dark  and  trying  times  we  begin  to 
have  doubts  about  the  wisdom  of  his 
dealings,  and  about  his  goodness. 
Unbelief  once  admitted  into  the  heart 


19  So  »  we  see  that  they 
could  not  enter  in  because  of 
unbelief. 

a  c.  4.  6. 

is  the  beginning  of  many  woes. 
When  a  man  loses  confidence  in  God, 
he  is  on  a  shoreless  ocean  that  is  full 
of  whirlpools,  and  rocks,  and  quick, 
sands,  and  where  it  is  impossible 
to  find  a  secure  anchorage.  There 
is  nothing  to  which  he  may  moor 
his  driven  bark ;  and  he  will  never 
find  safety  or  peace  till  he  comes 
back  to  God. 

(3.)  Let  us  live  a  life  of  faith.  Let 
us  so  live  that  we  may  say  with  Paul, 
"  The  life  that  I  novi^  live  in  the  flesh 
I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God 
who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for 
me."  So  living,  we  shall  have  peace. 
The  mind  will  be  at  rest.  Storms 
and  tempests  may  blow,  but  we  shall 
be  secure.  Others  may  be  troubled 
in  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  but  our 
minds  will  be  at  peace. 

(4.)  Let  us  live  expecting  the  fiiture 
'  rcsV  that  remains  for  us.  Let  us 
keep  our  eye  fixed  upon  it.  To  us 
there  is  a  rest  promised,  as  there  was 
to  the  Hebrews  whom  God  had  de- 
livered from  the  land  of  oppression ; 
and  we  may  by  faith  attain  to  that 
'  rest'  as  they  might  have  reached  the 
land  of  Canaan. 

(5.)  Let  us  persevere  to  the  end. 
He  that  draws  back  must  be  lost. 
He  that  does  not  endure  to  the  end 
of  life  in  the  ways  of  religion  can 
never  have  been  a  Christian.  There 
is  nothing  which  will  furnish  certain 
evidence  of  religion  unless  our  piety 
is  such  as  to  lead  us  to  perseyere 
till  death.  The  man  who  enters  on 
the  professed  Christian  life  expecting 
to  fall  away,  or  who  can  look  upon 
the  possibility  of  falling  away  without 
concern  has  never  known  anything  of 
the  nature  of  true  religion.  He  can- 
not be  a  Christian.  He  may  have 
had  raptures  and  visions  ;  he  may  be 
a  loud  professor  and  a  noisy  and  zeal 
ous  partisan,  but  he  has  no  evidence 
that  he  has  ever  .known  anything 
about  religion.     That  religion  which 


!»3 


HEBREWS, 


[A.  D.  64. 


is  n«it  connected  with  a  firm  and  de- 
termined purpose  l)y  the  grace  of  God 
to  persevere  to  tlie  cud  of  life,  is  no 
true  religion ;  and  a  man  who  expects 
to  fall  away  and  go  back  again  to  the 
world,  or  who  can  look  at  sucli  an 
idea  without  alarm,  should  regard  it 
as  a  settled  matter  tiiat  lie  has  no  true 
knowledge  of  God. 

(6.)  No  man  should  delay  the  work 
of  salvation  to  a  future  time.  7b- 
ddij  is  tlie  accepted  time  ;  to-day  the 
only  time  of  which  we  have  any  se- 
curity. God  speaks  to-day,  and  to-day 
his  voice  should  be  heard.  No  man 
on  any  subject  should  defer  till  to- 
morrow vvliat  ought  to  be  done  to-day. 
He  who  defers  religion  till  a  future 
time  neglects  his  own  best  interest; 
violates  most  solemn  obligations;  and 
endangers  his  immortal  soul.  What 
Becurity  can  any  one  have  that  he 
will  live  to  see  another  day  ?  What 
evidence  has  he  that  he  will  be  any 
more  disposed  to  attend  to  his  salva- 
tion then  than  he  is  now  ?  What 
evidence  can  he  have  that  he  will  not 
provoke  God  by  this  course,  and  bring 
condemnation  on  his  soul  ?  Of  all 
delusions,  that  is  the  most  wonderful 
by  which  dying  men  arc  led  to  defer 
attention  to  the  concerns  of  tlie  soul 
to  a  future  period  of  life.  Nowhere 
has  Satan  such  advantage  as  in  keep- 
ing this  delusion  before  the  mind ; 
and  if  in  respect  to  anything  the 
voice  of  warning  and  alarm  should 
be  lifted  loud  and  long,  it  is  in  refe- 
rence to  this.  O  why  will  not  men 
be  wise  to-day  ?  Why  will  they  not 
embrace  the  offer  of  salvation  noio  1 
Why  will  they  not  at  once  make  sure 
ofeternal  happiness  ?  And  why,  amidst 
the  changes  and  trials  of  this  life, 
will  they  not  so  secure  the  everlasting 
inheritance  as  to  feel  that  that  is  safe 
— that  there  is  one  thing  at  least  that 
cannot  be  shaken  and  disturbed  by 
commercial  embarrassment  and  dis- 
tress; one  thing  secure  though  friends 
and  kindred  are  torn  away  from  them ; 
one  thing  safe  when  their  own  health 
fails,  and  they  lie  down  on  the  bed 
where  they  will  bid  adieu  to  all 
earthly  comforts,  and  from  which 
they  will  never  rise  ? 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ANALYSIS    OF   THE   CIUPTEK. 

This  chapter  comprises  two  parts. 
In  the  first  (vs.  1—^13),  the  apostle 
pursues  and  completes  the  exhortation 
which  he  had  commenced  in  the  pre- 
vious chapter,  drawn  from  the  compa- 
rison of  the  Saviour  with  Moses  (sec 
tlie  analysis  of  ch.  iii.) ;  and  in  the 
second  part  (vs.  1 4 — 16),  he  enters  on 
the  consideration  of  the  character  of 
Christ  as  a  high  priest,  which  is  pur- 
sued  to  the  end  of  the  doctrinal  part 
of  the  epistle. 

In  the  first  part  (vs.  1 — 13),  he  de- 
scribes more  at  length  the  character 
of  the  '  rest '  to  which  he  had  referred 
in  the  previous  chapter.  He  shows 
(ver.  l),that  (he  promise  of  a  'rest' 
yet  remains,  and  that  there  is  still 
danger,  as  there  was  formerly,  of 
coming  short  of  it,  or  of  losing  it. 
He  affirms  that  such  was  the  nature 
of  that  promise,  that  it  is  applicable 
to  us  as  well  as  to  those  to  whom  it 
was  first  made,  and  that  the  promise 
of  rest  as  really  pertains  to  Cliristiana 
now  as  it  did  to  the  Hebrews  of  old. 
Ver.  2.  The  reason,  he  adds,  (ver.  2.) 
why  they  did  not  enter  into  that  rest 
was,  that  they  had  not  faith.  This 
he  had  established  in  the  previous 
chapter,  ver.  18.  In  vs.  3 — 6,  he  pro- 
ceeds to  demonstrate  more  at  length 
that  there  is  a  'rest'  remaining  tor 
those  who  believe.  The  great  object 
in  this  part  of  the  chapter  is  to  prove 
that  a  '  rest'  remains  for  believers 
now  ;  a  rest  of  a  spiritual  character, 
and  much  more  desirable  than  that 
of  the  land  of  Canaan  ;  a  rest  to  which 
Christians  may  look  forward,  and 
which  there  may  be  danger  of  losing. 
Addressing  Hebrew  Christians,  he 
of  course,  appeals  to  the  Old  Testa 
ment,  and  refers  to  several  places 
where  the  word  ^rest'  occurs,  and  ar- 
gues that  those  expressions  are  of  such 
a  character  as  to  show  that  there  re- 
mains a  '  rest'  for  Christians  yet.  It 
would  have  been  easy  to  have  ajfirm'ed 
this  as  a  part  of  the  Christian  reve- 
lation,  but  throughout  the  epistle  ho 
is  bringing  his  illustrations  from  the 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


93 


Old  Testament,  and  showing  to  the 
Hebrew  Christians  to  whom  he  wrote 
that  there  were  abundant  considera- 
tions in  the  Old  Testament  itself  to 
constitute  an  argument  why  they 
should  adhere  inviolably  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  He  says,  therefore, 
ver.  4,  that  God  himself  had  spoken 
of  his  own  rest  from  his  works  ;  that 
when  he  had  finished  the  work  of 
creation  he  had  instituted  a  rest  which 
was  characterized  by  the  peace,  and 
beauty,  and  order  of  the  first  Sabbath 
after  the  work  of  creation,  when  all 
was  new,  and  lovely,  and  pure.  That 
might  be  called  the  rest  of  God — a 
beautiful  emblem  of  that  which  dwells 
around  his  throne  in  heaven.  The 
meaning  of  this  verse  (ver.  4)  is,  that 
the  Bible  spoke  early  of  a  rest  which 
appertained  to  God  himself.  In  ver. 
5,  he  goes  on  to  say  that  the  prospect 
of  entering  into  his  rest  was  spoken 
of  as  a  possible  thing ;  that  some  were 
excluded,  but  that  there  was  a  place 
deserved  to  be  called  '  the  rest  of  God' 
— "  My  rest" — to  which  all  may  come. 
Of  course,  that  rest  must  be  of  a  spir- 
itual nature,  and  must  be  different 
from  that  of  the  promised  land.  That 
'  rest''  the  apostle  implies  it  was  pos- 
sible to  attain.  He  does  not  argue 
this  point  at  length,  but  he  assumes 
that  God  would  not  create  a  place  6f 
rest  in  vain ;  that  it  was  made  to  be 
enjoyed ;  and  that  since  those  to  whom 
it  was  at  first  offered  were  excluded, 
i  it  must  follow  that  it  remained  still ; 
I  and  as  they  were  excluded  by  the 
'  want  of  faith,  it  would  follow  also 
that  it  was  reserved  for  those  who  had 
faith.  Of  course,  therefore,  it  is  of- 
fered to  Christians  now.     Ver.  6. 

This  view  he  proceeds  to  confirm 

by  another  consideration.  Vs.  7,  8.  It 

is  that  David,  who  lived  nearly  five 

i^lmndred  years  afler  the  land  of  pro- 

i   mise  had  been  occupied  by  the  Israel- 

I   ites,  spoke  then  of  the  possibility  of 

entering  into  such  a  '  rest.'     He  says 

i   (Ps.  xcv.  7),  that,  in  his  time,  the  pco- 

)  pie  were  called  to  hear  the  voice  of 

God ;  that  he  warned  them  against 

tiie   guilt   and   danger  of  hardening 

their  hearts ;  that  he  reminded  them 

that  it  was  by  that  that  the  Israelites 


were  excluded  from  the  promised  land,  "* 
and  that  he  said  that  the  same  thing 
would  occur  if  those  in  his  own  time 
should  harden  their  hearts.  It  fol- 
lowed, therefore,  that  even  in  the  time 
of  David  there  was  a  hope  and  pro- 
mise of  '  rest ;'  and  that  there  was 
something  more  intended  for  the  true 
people  of  God  than  merely  entering 
into  the  promised  land.  There  must 
be  something  in  advance  of  that ; 
something  that  existed  to  the  time  of 
David — and  it  must  be,  therefore,  a 
spiritual  rest.  This,  the  apostle  adds, 
ver.  8,  is  conclusive ;  for  if  Joshua 
had  given  them  all  the  '  rest'  that  was 
contemplated,  then  David  would  not 
have  spoken  as  he  did  of  the  danger 
of  being  excluded  from  it  in  his  time. 
He,  therefore,  (ver.  9),  comes  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  must  still  re- 
main a  '  rest'  for  the  people  of  God, 
a  '  rest '  to  which  they  were  invited, 
and  which  they  were  in  danger  of 
losing  by  unbelief  He  adds  (ver.  1 0), 
that  he  who  enters  into  that  'rest' 
ceases  from  toil,  as  God  did  from  his 
when  he  had  finished  the  work  of 
creation.  Since,  therefore,  there  is 
such  a  '  rest,'  and  since  there  is  dan- 
ger  of  coming  short  of  it,  the  apostle 
urges  them  (ver.  11),  to  make  every 
effort  to  enter  -into  it.  He  adds  (vs. 
12,  13),  as  a  consideration  to  quicken 
them  to  earnest  effort  and  to  anxious 
care  lest  they  should  be  deceived,  and 
should  fail  of  it,  the  fact  that  God 
cannot  be  deceived ;  that  his  word 
penetrates  the  heart,  and  that  every- 
thing is  naked  and  open  before  him. 
There  should,  therefore,  be  the  most 
faithfld  investigation  of  the  heart,  lest 
they  should  fail  of  the  grace  of  God, 
and  lose  the  hoped-for  rest. 

In  the  second  portion  of  the  chap, 
ter  (vs.  14 — 16),  he  enters  on  the  con- 
sideration of  the  character  of  Christ 
as  High  Priest,  and  says  that  since 
we  have  such  an  High  Priest  as  he  is, 
we  should  be  encouraged  to  come 
boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace.  We 
have  encouragement  to  persevere  fi'om 
the  fact  that  we  have  such  a  High 
Priest,  and  in  all  our  conscious  weak- 
ness and  helplessnes  we  may  look  to 
him  for  aid. 


94 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

LET  us"  therefore  fear,  lest 
a  promise  being  loft  us  of 


I.  Let  us  therefore  fear.   Let  us  be 
apprehensive  that  wc    may   possibly 
fail  of  that  rest.     The  kind  of  fear 
which  is  recommended  here  is  that 
whicii  leads  to  caution  and  care.     A 
man  wiio  is  in  danger  of  losinjr  liis 
life  or  health  should  be  watchful ;  a 
ecaman  that  is  in  danger  of  running 
on  a  lee-shorc  should  be  on  his  guard. 
So  wc  who  have  the  offer  of  heaven, 
and  who  yet  are  in  danger  of  losing 
it,  should  take  all  possible  precautions 
lest  we  fail  of  it.     II  Lest  a  promise 
being  left  us.  Paul  assumes  here  that 
there  is  sucli  a  promise.     In  the  sub- 
sequent part  of  the  chapter,  he  goes 
more  into  the  subject,  and  proves  from 
the  Old  Testament  that  there  is  sucii 
a  promise  made  to   us.     It  is  to  be 
remembered  that  Paul   had  not  the 
New  Testament  then  to  appeal  to,  as 
we  have,  which  is  perfectly  clear  on 
the  subject,  but  that  he  was  obliged 
to  appeal  to  the  Old  Testament.  Tliis 
he    did   not   only    because  the  New 
Testament  was  not  then  written,  but 
because  he  was  reasoning  with  those 
who  had  been  Hebrews,  and  who  re- 
garded the  authority  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament as  decisive.     If  his  reasoning 
to  us  appears  somewhat  obscure,  we 
should    put   ourselves    in    his    place, 
and  should  remember  that  the  con- 
verts then  had  not  the  full  light  which 
we  have  now  in  the  New  Testament. 
IT  Of  entering  into  his  rest.     The  rest 
of  God — the  rest  of  the  world  where 
he  dwells.     It  is  called  his  rest,  be- 
cause it  is  that  whicli  he  enjoys,  and 
which   he  alone  can  confer.     Tlicre 
can  be  no  doubt  that  Paul  refers  here 
to  heaven,   and   means   to    say   that 
there  is  a  promise  lefl  to  Christians 
of  being  admitted  to  the  enjoyment 
of    that    blessed    world    where    God 
dwells.     ^  Any  of  you  should  seem  to 
come  short  of  it.     Tlie  word  "  seem" 
here  is  used  as  a  form  of  gentle  and 
mild  address,  implying  the  possibility 
of  thus   coming   sliort.      The  word 


entering  into  his  rest,  any  of 
you  should  seem  to  come  short 
of  it. 

a  c.  12. 15. 

here  —  foKtu  —  is  often  used  so  as  to 
appear  to  give  no  essential  addition 
passage,  though 


to   the   sense  of  a 


it  is  probable  that  it  always  gave  a 
shading  to  the  meaning.  Thus  the 
phrase  esse  videatur  is  ot\en  used  by 
Cicero  at  the  end  of  a  period,  to  de- 
note merely  that  a  thing  teas — though 
he  expressed  it  as  tliough  it  merely 
seemed  to  be.  Such  language  is  often 
used  in  argument  or  in  conversation 
as  a  modest  expression,  as  when  we 
say  a  thing  seems  to  be  so  and  so, 
instead  of  saying  '  it  is.'  In  some 
such  sense  Paul  probably  used  the 
phrase  here  —  perhaps  as  expressing 
what  we  would  by  this  language  — 
'  lest  it  should  appear  at  last  that  any 
of  you  had  come  short  of  it.'  The 
phrase  '  come  short  of  it'  is  probably 
used  with  reference  to  the  journey  to 
the  promised  land,  where  they  who 
came  out  of  Egypt  came  short  of  that 
land,  and  fell  in  the  wilderness.  They 
did  not  reach  it. — This  verse  teaches 
the  important  truth  that,  though  hea- 
ven is  otFered  to  us,  and  that  a  '  rest' 
is  promised  to  us  if  we  seek  it,  yet 
that  there  is  reason  to  think  that 
many  may  fail  of  reaching  it  who 
had  expected  to  obtain  it.  Among 
those  will  be  the  following  classes : — 
(1.)  Those  who  are  professors  of  reli- 
gion but  who  have  never  known  any- 
thing of  true  piety.  (2.)  Those  who 
are  expecting  to  be  saved  by  their 
own  works,  and  are  looking  forward 
to  a  world  of  rest  on  the  ground  of 
what  their  own  hands  can  do.  (3.) 
Tliose  who  defer  attention  to  the 
subject  from  time  to  time  until  it  be- 
comes  too  late.  They  expect  to  reach 
heaven,  but  they  arc  not  ready  to  give 
their  hearts  to  God  now,  and  the  sub- 
ject is  deferred  from  one  period  to 
another,  until  death  arrests  them  un- 
prepared. (4.)  Those  who  have  been 
awakened  to  see  their  guilt  and  dan- 
ger, and  who  iiavc  been  almost  but 
not  quite  ready  to  give  up  their  heartj 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


95 


2  For  unto  us  was  the  gos- 
pel preached,  as  well  as  unto 
them  :  but  the  word  preached  ' 

1  of  hearing. 

to  God.  Such  were  Agrippa,  Felix, 
the  young-  ruler  (Mark  x.  21),  and 
such  are  all  those  who  are  almost  but 
not  quite  prepared  to  give  up  the 
world  and  to  devote  themselves  to  the 
Redeemer.  To  all  these  the  promise 
of  '  rest'  is  made,  if  they  will  accept 
of  salvation  as  it  is  offered  in  the  gos- 
pel ;  all  of  them  cherish  a  hope  that 
they  will  be  saved  ;  and  all  of  them 
are  destined  alike  to  be  disappointed. 
With  what  earnestness,  therefore, 
should  we  strive  that  wo  may  not  fail 
of  the  grace  of  God  ! 

2.  For  unto  us  was  the  gospel 
preached  as  well  as  vnto  them.  This 
translation  by  no  means  conveys  the 
sense  of  the  original.  According  to 
this,  it  would  seem  that  the  gospel,  as 
we  understand  it,  or  the  whole  plan 
of  salvation,  was  communicated  to 
them,  as  well  as  to  us.  But  this  is  by 
no  means  the  idea.  The  discussion 
has  reference  only  to  the  promise  of 
rest,  and  the  assertion  of  the  apostle 
is,  that  this  good  news  of  a  promise 
of  rest  is  made  to  us  as  really  as  it 
was  made  to  them.  'Rest'  was  pro- 
mised to  them  in  the  land  of  Canaan 
—  an  emblem  of  the  eternal  rest  of 
the  people  of  God.  That  was  un- 
questioned, and  Paul  took  it  for 
granted.  His  object  now  is,  to  show 
that  a  promise  of  '  rest'  is  as  really 
made  to  us  as  it  was  to  them,  and 
that  there  is  the  same  danger  of  fail- 
I  ing  to  secure  it  as  there  was  then. 
It  was  important  for  him  to  show 
that  there  was  such  a  promise  made 
to  the  people  of  God  in  his  time,  and 
as  he  was  discoursing  of  those  who 
were  Hebrews,  he  of  course  made  his 
appeal  to  the  Old  Testament.  The 
literal  translation  would  be,  '  For  we 
are  evangelized  —  icficv  tvi^yytXiaonivoi 
• — as  well  as  they.'  The  word  evan- 
gelize means  to  communicate  good 
news,  or  glad  tidings ;  and  the  idea 
here  is,  that  the  good  news,  or  glad 
tidings  of  '  rest'  i.s  announced  to  us 


did  not  profit  thenn,^  not  being 
mixed  with  faith  in  them  that 
heard  %t. 

2  or,  because  they  weie  not  united  by  faith  to. 


as  really  as  it  was  to  them.     This 
the  apostle   proves   in  the  following 
verses.      If  But   the   loord  preached. 
Marg.  Of  hearing.   The  word  preach 
we  also  use  now  in  a  technical  sense 
as  denoting  a  formal  proclamation  of 
the  gospel  by  the  ministers  of  reli- 
gion.     But  this  is  not  the  idea  here 
It    means,    simply,  the  word    which 
they  heard  ;  and  refers  particularly  to 
the    promise    of   '  rest'    which    was 
made  to  them.     That  message  was 
communicated    to   them    by    Moses. 
^  Did  not  profit  them.     They  derived 
no  advantage  from  it.    They  rejected 
and  despised  it,  and  were,  therefore, 
excluded  from  the  promised  land.     It 
exerted  no  influence  over  their  hearts 
and  lives,  and  they  lived  and  died  as 
though    no   such  promise  had    been 
made.     Thus  many  persons  live  and 
die  now.     The  offer  of  salvation  is 
made  to  them.     They  are  invited  to 
come   and   be  saved.     They  are  as- 
sured that  God  is  willing  to  save  them, 
and  that  the  Redeemer  stands  with 
open  arms  to  welcome  them  to  hea- 
ven.    They  are  trained  up  under  the 
gospel ;  are   led  early  in  life  to  the 
sanctuary  ;  are  in  the  habit  of  attend, 
ing  on  the  preaching   of  the  gospel 
all  their  days,  but  still  what  they  hear 
exerts  no  saving   influence  on  their 
hearts.     At  the  close  of  life  all  that 
could   be   truly  said  of  them  is,  that 
they  have  not  been  profited;  it  has 
been  no  real   advantage  to  them  in 
regard  to  tlieir  final  destiny  that  they 
have    enjoyed    so    many    privileges. 
IT   Not  being  mixed  with  faith  in  them 
that  heard  it.     Marg.     'Or,  because 
they    were    not   united    by  faith    to* 
There  are  some  various  readings  on 
this  text,  and  one  of  these  has  given 
occasion  to  the  version  in  the  margin 
Many  MSS.  instead  of  the  common 
reading — avyKCKpajxivoi — by  which  the 
word    mixed    would    he    united    to 
i  \6yoi  —  '<Ae   word,''    have    another 
reading —  fl-vyctvpa/uVouy  — according 


96 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  Gl. 


to  which  the  word  mixed  would  refer 
to  '  them,'  and  would  mean  that  they 
who  heard  the  word  and  rejected  it 
were  not  mixed,  or  united  with  those 
who  believed  it.  The  former  reading 
makes  the  best  sense,  and  is  the  best 
sustained ;  and  the  idea  is,  that  the 
message  which  was  preached  was 
not  received  into  tlie  heart  by  faith. 
They  were  destitute  of  laitli,  and  the 
message  did  not  profit  them.  The 
word  mixed  is  supposed  by  many  of 
the  best  critics  to  refer  to  the  process 
by  which  food  is  made  nutritive,  by 
being  properly  mixed  with  the  saliva 
and  the  gastric  juice,  and  thus  con- 
verted into  chyme,  and  chyle,  and 
then  changed  into  blood.  If  suitably 
mixed  in  this  manner,  it  contributes 
to  the  lite  and  health  of  the  bodily 
frame ;  if  not,  it  is  tlie  means  of  dis- 
ease and  death.  So  it  is  supposed 
the  apostle  meant  to  say  of  the  mes- 
sage wliich  God  sends  to  man.  If 
properly  received  ;  if  mixed  or  united 
witii  faith,  it  becomes  the  means  of 
spiritual  support  and  life.  If  not,  it 
furnishes  no  ahment  to  tiie  soul,  and 
will  be  of  no  advantage.  As  food 
when  properly  digested  incorporates 
itself  with  the  body,  and  gives  it 
support,  so  those  critics  suppose  it  to 
be  of  tlic  word  of  God,  that  it  in- 
corporates itself  with  the  internal 
and  spiritual  man,  and  gives  it  sup- 
port and  life.  It  may  be  doubted, 
however,  whether  the  apostle  had  any 
such  allusion  as  this,  and  whetlier  it 
is  not  rather  a  refinement  of  the 
critics  than  of  Paul.  The  tcord  used 
liere  properly  denotes  a  mixing  or 
mingling  together,  like  water  and 
wine,  II.  Mac.  xv.  39 ;  a  uniting  to- 
gether in  proper  proportions  and  or- 
der, as  of  the  body,  I.  Cor.  xii.  24 ; 
and  it  may  refer  here  merely  to  a 
proper  union  of  faith  with  the  word, 
in  order  that  it  might  be  profitable. 
The  idea  is,  that  merely  to  hear  the 
message  of  life  with  the  outward  ear 
will  be  of  no  advantage.  It  nmst  be 
believed,  or  it  will  be  of  no  benefit. 
The  mesage  is  sent  to  mankind  at 
large.  God  declares  his  readiness  to 
save  all.     But  this  message  is  of  no 


advantage  to  multitudes  —  for  such 
reasons  as  these.  (1.)  Many  do  not 
attend  to  it  at  all.  They  do  not  even 
listen  respectfully  to  it.  Multitudes 
go  not  near  the  place  where  the  gos- 
pel is  proclaimed ;  and  many,  when 
there,  and  when  they  seem  to  attend, 
have  their  minds  and  hearts  on  other 
things.  (2.)  Many  do  not  belieoe  it. 
They  have  doubts  about  the  wliole 
subject  of  religion,  or  about  the  par- 
ticular doctrines  of  the  gospel — and 
while  they  do  not  believe  it,  how  can 
they  be  benefited  by  it  ?  How  can  a 
man  be  profited  by  the  records  of  his- 
tory if  lie  does  not  believe  them  ? 
How  can  one  be  benefited  by  the 
truths  of  science  if  he  does  not  believe 
them?  And  if  a  man  was  assured 
that  by  going  to  a  certain  place  he 
might  close  a  bargain  that  would  be 
a  great  advantage  to  him,  of  what 
use  would  this  information  be  to  him 
if  he  did  not  believe  a  word  of  it?  So 
of  the  knowledge  of  salvation ;  the 
facts  of  the  history  recorded  in  the 
Bible;  the  offer  of  eternal  life.  (3.) 
Men  do  not  allow  the  message  of  life 
to  influence  tlieir  conduct,  and  of 
course  it  is  of  no  advantage  to  them. 
Of  what  use  can  it  be  if  they  steadily 
resist  all  the  influence  which  it  would 
have,  and  ought  to  have,  on  their 
lives  ?  They  live  as  though  it  were 
ascertained  that  there  is  no  truth  in 
the  Bible ;  no  reason  for  being  in- 
fluenced by  the  offered  hope  of  eter- 
nal life,  or  alarmed  by  the  threatened 
danger  of  eternal  death.  Resolved  to 
pursue  a  course  of  life  that  is  at  va- 
riance with  the  commands  of  God, 
they  cannot  be  profited  by  the  message 
of  salvation.  Having  no  faitli  which 
influences  and  controls  the  heart, 
they  are  not  in  tlie  least  benefited  by 
the  offer  of  heaven.  When  they  die, 
tlieir  condition  is  in  no  wise  made 
better  by  tiie  fact  that  they  were 
trained  up  in  a  pious  family  ;  that 
tiicy  were  instructed  in  tiie  Sabbath- 
school  ;  that  they  had  the  Bible  in 
their  dwellings,  and  that  they  sat  re- 
gularly under  a  preached  gospel. 
For  any  advinlage  to  be  derived  from 
all    this   in    tlie    future   world,    they 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


97 


3  For  we  which  have  be- 
lieved do  enter  into  rest;  as  he 
said,  •  As  I  have  sworn  in  my 

a  Ps.  95.  11. 

might  as  well  have  never  heard  the 
message  of  life.  Nay  it  would  liave 
been  better  for  them.  The  only  effect 
of  these  privileges  is  to  harden  them 
in  guilt,  and  to  sink  them  deeper  in 
hell.     Notes,  II.  Cor.  ii.  16. 

3.  For  we  which  have  believed  do 
enter  into  rest.  That  is,  it  is  a  cer- 
tain fact  that  believers  will  enter  into 
rest.  That  promise  is  made  to  '  be- 
lievers ;'  and  as  we  have  evidence 
that  we  come  under  the  denomination 
of  believers,  it  will  follow  that  loe 
have  the  offer  of  rest  as  well  as  they. 
That  this  is  so,  the  apostle  proceeds 
to  prove  ;  that  is,  lie  proceeds  to  show 
from  the  Old  Testament  that  there 
was  a  promise  to  '  believers'  that  they 
would  enter  into  rest.  Since  there 
was  such  a  promise,  and  since  there 
was  danger  that  by  unbelief  that  'rest' 
might  be  lost,  he  proceeds  to  show 
them  the  danger,  and  to  warn  them 
of  it.  IT  As  he  said,  &c.  See  oh.  iii. 
II.  The  meaning  of  this  passage  is 
this.  'God  made  a  promise  of  rest 
to  those  who  believe.  They  to  whom 
the  offer  was  first  made  failed,  and 
did  not  enter  in.  It  must  follow, 
therefore,  that  the  offer  extended  to 
others,  since  God  designed  that  some 
should  enter  in,  or  that  it  should  not 
be  provided  in  vain.  To  them  it  was 
a  solemn  declaration  that  unbelievers 
should  not  enter  in,  and  this  implied 
that  believers  would.  As  we  nov/,' 
Bays  he,  '  sustain  the  character  of 
believers,  it  follows  that  to  us  the  pro- 
mise of  rest  is  now  made,  and  we 
may  partake  of  it.'  IT  If  they  shall 
^  enter,  &c.  That  is,  they  shall  not 
enter  in.  See  ch.  iii.  11.  Tlie  "  rest" 
here  spoken  of  as  reserved  for  Chris- 
tians must  be  different  from  that  of 
the  promised  land.  It  is  something 
that  pertains  to  Christians  now,  and 
I  it  must,  therefore,  refer  to  the  '  rest' 
'      that  remains  in  heaven.     IT  Although 


wrath,  if  they  shall  enter  into 
my  rest ;    although    the   works 
were  finished  from  the  founda 
tion  of  the  world. 


the  works  were  finished,  «&c. 
9 


This  is 


a  difficult  expression.  What  works 
are  referred  to  ?  it  may  be  asked. 
How  does  this  bear  on  the  subject 
under  discussion  ?  How  can  it  be  a 
proof  that  there  remains  a  '  rest'  to 
those  who  believe  now  ?  This  was 
the  point  to  be  demonstrated ;  and  this 
passage  was  designed  clearly  to  bear 
on  that  point.  As  it  is  in  our  trans- 
lation, the  passage  seems  to  make  no 
sense  whatever.  Tindal  renders  it, 
"  And  that  spake  he  verily  long  after 
that  the  works  were  made  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world  laid ;"  which 
makes  much  better  sense  than  our 
translation.  Doddridge  explains  it 
as  meaning,  '  And  this  may  lead  us 
further  to  reflect  on  what  is  elsewhere 
said  concerning  his  works  as  they 
were  finished  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world.'  But  it  is  diflicult  to  see 
v.'hy  they  should  reflect  on  his  works 
just  then,  and  how  this  would  bear 
on  the  case  in  hand.  Prof.  Stuart 
supposes  that  the  word  "  rest"  must 
be  understood  here  before  "  works," 
and  translates  it,  "Shall  not  enter 
into  my  rest,  to  wit,  rest  from  the 
works  which  were  performed  when 
the  world  was  founded."  Prof.  Ro- 
binson (Lex.)  explains  it  as  meaning, 
"  The  rest  here  spoken  of,  '  my  rest,' 
could  not  have  been  God's  resting 
from  his  works  (Gen.  ii.  2),  for  this 
rest,  the  Sabbath,  had  already  existed 
from  the  creation  of  the  world."  Dr. 
J.  P.  Wilson  (MS.  Notes)  renders  i*, 
"  For  we  who  have  believed,  do  enter 
into  rest  (or  a  cessation)  indeed  (icatroi) 
of  the  works  done  (among  men)  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world."  Amidst 
this  variety  of  interpretation  it  is  difl. 
ficult  to  determine  the  true  sense. 
But  perhaps  the  main  thought  may 
be  collected  from  the  following  re- 
marks. (1.)  The  Jews  as  the  people 
of  God  had  a  rest  promised  them  in 
the  land  of  Canaan.  Of  that  they 
failed   by  their   unbelief.      (2.)  Tha 


98 


HEBREWS. 


[A,  D.  G4 


4  For  he  spake  in  a  certain 
place  of  the  seventh  day  on  this 
wise,"  And  God  did  rest  the 
seventh  day  from  all  his  works. 


5  And  in  this  place   again, 
if  they  shall  enter  into  my  rest. 


a  Ge.  2. 2. 


purpose  of  the  apostle  was  to  prove 
that  there  was  a  similar  promise  made 
to  the  people  of  God  long  subsequent 
to  that,  and  to  which  all  his  people 
were  invited.  (3.)  ITiat  rest  was  not 
that  of  the  promised  land,  it  was  such 
as  God  had  himself  when  he  liad 
finished  the  work  of  creation.  Tliat 
was  peculiarly  his  rest — the  rest  of 
God,  witliout  toil,  or  weariness,  and 
after  his  whole  work  was  finished. 
(4.)  His  people  were  invited  to  the 
same  rest — the  rest  of  God — to  par- 
take of  his  felicity ;  to  enter  into 
that  bliss  which  he  enjoyed  vi^lien  he 
had  finished  the  work  of  creation. 
The  ha])pincss  of  the  saints  was  to 
be  like  that.  It  was  to  be  in  their  case 
also  a  rest  from  toil — to  be  enjoyed 
at  the  "end  of  all  that  they  had  to  do. 
To  prove  that  Christians  were  to  at- 
tain to  such  a  rest,  was  the  purpose 
which  the  apostle  had  in  view — show- 
ing' that  it  was  a  general  doctrine 
pertaining  to  believers  in  every  age, 
that  there  was  a  promise  of  rest  for 
them.  I  would  then  regard  the  mid- 
dle clause  of  this  verse  as  a  parenthe- 
sis, and  render  the  whole,  '  For  we 
who  are  believers  shall  enter  into  rest 
—  [the  rest]  indeed  which  occurred 
when  the  works  were  finished  at  the 
foundation  of  the  world — as  he  said 
[ia  one  place]  as  I  have  sworn  in  my 
wrath  they  shall  not  enter  into  my 
rest.'  That  was  the  true  rest — sueli 
rest  o'  repose  as  God  had  when  lie 
LiusatiA  the  work  of  creation — such 
as  he  has  now  in  heaven.  This  gives 
the  highest  possible  idea  of  the  dig- 
nity and  desirableness  of  that  '  rest' 
to  which  we  look  forward — for  it  is 
to  be  such  as  God  enjoys,  and  is  to 
elevate  us  more  and  more  to  him. 
What  more  exalted  idea  can  there  be 
of  happiness  than  to  participate  in 
the  calmness,  the  peace,  the  repose, 
the  freedom  from  raging  passions, 
from  wearisome  toil,  and  from  agi- 
8« 


tating  cares,  which  God  enjoys  1 
Who,  torn  with  conflicting  passions 
here,  wearied  with  toil,  and  distracted 
with  care,  ought  not  to  feel  it  a  pri- 
vilege to  look  forward  to  that  rest  ? 
Of  this  rest  the  Sabbath  and  the  pro 
mised  land  were  emblcins.  They  to 
whom  the  promise  was  made  did  not 
enter  in,  but  some  shall  enter  in,  and 
the  promise  therefore  pertains  to  us. 

4.  For  he  spake.  Gen.  ii.  2.  IT  And 
God  did  rest.  '  At  the  close  of  the 
work  of  creation  he  rested.  The 
work  was  done.  That  was  the  rest 
of  God.  He  was  happy  in  the  con- 
templation of  his  own  works  ;  and  he 
instituted  tiiat  day  to  be  observed 
as  a  memorial  of  his  resting  from 
his  works,  and  as  a  type  of  the  eter- 
nal rest  which  remained  for  man,' 
The  idea  is  this,  that  tiie  notion  of 
rest  of  some  kind  runs  through  all 
dispensations.  It  was  seen  in  the 
finishing  of  the  work  of  creation , 
seen  in  the  appointment  of  the  Sab- 
bath ;  seen  in  the  offer  of  the  pro. 
niised  land,  and  is-  seen  now  in  the 
promise  of  heaven.  All  dispensations 
contemplate  rest,  and  there  must  be 
such  a  prospect  before  man  now. 
When  it  is  said  that  "  God  did  rest," 
of  course  it  does  not  mean  that  he 
was  wearied  with  his  toil,  but  merely 
that  he  ceased  from  the  stupendous 
work  of  creation.  He  no  more  put 
forth  creative  energy,  but  calmly  con 
femplated  his  own  works  in  their 
beaut}'  and  grandeur.  Gen.  i.  31.  In 
carrying  forward  the  great  aSairs  of 
the  universe,  he  always  has  been 
actively  employed  (John  v.  17),  bii< 
he  is  not  employed  in  the  work  of 
creation  properly  so  called.  That  is 
done ;  and  tiie  sublime  cessation  from 
t!iat  constitutes  the  '  rest  of  God.' 

5.  And  in  this  ])lace  again.  Ps. 
-xcv.  11.  V  If  they  shall  enter.  That 
Ls,  they  shall  not  enter.  See  Notes 
ch.  iii.  11.      The  object  of  quoting 


A,  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


99 


6  Seeing  therefore  it  remain- 
eth  that  some  must  enter  there- 
in, and  they  °  to  whom  '  it  was 
first  preached  entered  not  in 
because  of  unbelief. 


a  c.  3.  19. 


1  the  gospel. 


this  here  seems  to  be  two-fold.  (1.) 
To  show  tJiat  even  in  this  Psahn  God 
spoke  of  his  rest,  and  said  that  they 
should  not  enter  into  it ;  and  (2.)  it  is 
connected  with  ver.  6,  and  is  designed 
to  show  that  it  was  implied  that  a 
rest  yet  remained.  '  That  which  de- 
serves to  be  called  the  divine  rest  is 
spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures,  and  as 
they  did  not  enter  into  it,  it  follows 
that  it  must  be  in  reserve  for  some 
others,  and  that  the  promise  must 
etill  remain.' 

6.  Seeing  therefore  it  remaineth  that 
some  must-  enter  therein.  That  is, 
'  Since  there  is  a  rest  spoken  of  in  the 
Scriptures,  implying  that  it  is  to  be 
enjoyed  by  some,  and  since  they  to 
whom  it  was  first  promised  did  not 
inherit  it,  it  follows  that  it  must  still 
be  in  reserve.'  This  is  the  conclu- 
sion which  the  apostle  draws  from 
the  argument  in  the  previous  verses, 
and  is  connected  with  ver.  9,  where 
he  says  that  "  there  remainetii  a  rest 
to  tlie  people  of  God" — the  point  to 
which  the  whole  argument  tended. 
The  statement  in  vs.  7,  8,  is  to  be  re- 
garded as  an  interruption  in  stating 
the  conclusion,  or  as  the  suggestion 
of  a  new  thought  or  a  new  argmiient 
bearing  on  the  subject,  which  he  sets 
down  even  while  stating  the  conclu- 
sion from  his  argument.  It  has  the 
appearance  of  being  suggested  to  him 
as  a  new  thought  of  importance,  and 
which  he  preferred  to  place  even  in 
the  midst  of  the  summing  up  of  tiie 
argument  rather  than  omit  it  alto- 
gether. It  denotes  a  state  of  mind 
full  of  the  subject,  and  wliere  one  idea 
came  hastening  after  another,  and 
which  it  was  deemed  important  to 
notice,  even  though  it  should  seem  to 
be  out  of  place.  The  position  in  this 
verse  (6)  is,  that  it  was  a  settled  or 


7  Again,  he  limiteth  a  cer- 
tain day,  saying  in  David,  To- 
day, after  so  long  a  time  ;  (as 
it  is  said)  *  Torday,  if  ye  will 
hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your 
hearts. 

b  Ps.  95.  7. 

indisputable  matter  that  some  would 
enter  into  rest.  The  implied  argu- 
ment to  prove  this  is,  (1)  that  there 
was  a  '  rest'  spoken  of  which  deserved 
to  be  called  a  divine  rest,  or  the  'rest 
of  God  ;'  (2)  it  could  not  be  supposed 
that  God  would  prepare  such  a  rest 
in  vain,  for  it  would  follow  that  if  he 
had  fitted  up  a  world  of  rest,  he  de- 
signed that  it  should  be  occupied.  As 
he  knew,  therefore,  that  they  to  whom 
it  was  first  oiFered  would  not  enter  in. 
it  must  be  that  he  designed  it  for  some 
others,  and  that  it  remained  to  be  oc- 
cupied by  us  now.  If  And  they  to 
ichom  it  was  Jirst  preached.  Marg. 
The  Gospel.  Gr.  Evangelized ;  that 
is,  to  whom  the  good  news  of  the  rest 
was  first  annomiced — the  Israelites. 
H  Entered  not  in  because  of  unbelief. 
See  Notes  ch.  iii.  19. . 

7.  Again,  he  limiteth.  He  desig 
nates,  or  definitely  mentions.  The 
word  rendered  limiteth — opi'fct — means 
to  bound,  to  set  a  boundary — as  of  a 
field,  or  farm  ;  and  then  to  determine 
or  fix  definitely,  to  designate,  appoint. 
Here  it  means,  that  he  specifies  par- 
ticularly,  or  mentions  expressly.  IT  A 
certain  day.  A  particular  time ;  he 
mentions  to-day  particularly.  That 
is,  in  tlie  time  of  David,  he  uses  the 
word  "  to-day,"  as  if  there  was  then 
an  offer  of  rest,  and  as  if  it  were  then 
possible  to  enter  into  it.  The  object 
of  the  additional  thought  was  to  show 
that  the  offer  of  rest  was  not  confined 
to  the  Israelites  to  whom  it  was  first 
made  ;  that  David  regarded  it  as  ex- 
isting in  his  day  ;  and  that  man  might 
even  then  be  invited  to  come  and  par- 
take of  the  rest  that  was  promised. 
'  Nearly  five  hundred  years  after  the 
time  when  the  Israelites  were  going 
to  the  promised  land,  and  when  the 
offer  of  rest  was  made  to  them,  we 


100 


HEBREWS. 


8  For  if    'Jesus    liad    given 
them  rest,  tlien  would   he  not 

1  That  is,  Joshua, 

2  or,  keeping  of  a  Sabbath. 

hear  David  speaking'  of  rest  still ;  rest 
wliieh  was  ortcrcd  in  his  time,  and 
which  might  tiien  be  lost  by  Imrdeniiig' 
the  heart.  It  could  not  be,  thereli)re, 
that  tlic  offer  of  rest  jwrtained  merely 
to  the  promised  land.  It  must  be  some- 
thing in  advance  of  that.  It  muyt  be 
something  existing  in  the  time  of 
David.  It  must  be  an  offer  of  hea- 
ven.' A  Jew  might  feci  the  force  of 
tills  argument  more  than  we  do  ;  still 
it  is  conclusive  to  prove  the  point  un- 
der consideration,  that  there  was  a 
rest  spoken  of  long  after  the  offer  of 
tlie  promised  land,  and  that  all  the 
promises  could  not  have  pertained  to 
that.  If  Sitytng  in  David.  In  a 
Psalm  composed  by  David,  or  rather 
perliaps,  saying  by  David ;  tliat  is,  God 
spake  by  him.  H  To-day.  Now  : — 
that  is,  even  in  the  time  of  David. 
T  After  so  long  a  time.  That  is,  so 
long  after  the  first  p<;omise  was  made ; 
to  wit,  about  five  hundred  years. 
These  are  the  words  of  Paul  calling 
attention  to  the  fact  that  so  long  a 
time  after  the  entrance  into  the  pro- 
mised land  there  was  still  a  speaking 
of  "  to-day"  as  if  even  then  they  were 
called  to  partake  of  the  rest.  IT  AS' 
it  is  said.  To  quote  it  exactly ;  or 
to  bring  the  express  authority  of  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  expressly  said  even 
after  that  long  time, '  to-day — or  now, 
if  you  will  hear  his  voice.'  All  this 
is  to  prove  that  even  in  that  time  there 
was  an  offer  of  rest. 

8.  For  if  Jesus.  Marg.  'That 
is,  Joshua.^  The  Syriac  renders  it, 
'  Joshua  the  Son  of  Nun.'  Jesus  is 
the  Greek  mode  of  writing  Joshua, 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Joshua 
is  here  intended.  The  object  is  to 
prove  that  Joshua  did  not  give  the 
people  of  God  such  a  rest  as  to  make 
it  improper  to  speak  of  a  '  rest'  after 
that  time.  '  If  Joshua  had  given 
them  a  complete  and  final  rest ;  if  by 
Ills  conducting  them  to  tlic  promised 


[A.  D.  64. 
spoken   of  an- 


aftevward    have 
other  day. 

9  There  remaineth  therefore 
a  *  rest  to  the  people  of  God. 

land  all  had  been  done  which  had 
been  contemplattd  by  the  promise, 
then  it  would  not  have  been  alluded 
to  again,  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Da- 
vid.' Joshua  did  give  them  a  rest  in 
the  promised  land  ;  but  it  was  not  all 
which  was  intended,  and  it  did  not 
exclude  the  promise  of  another  and 
more  important  rest.  ^  Then  would 
he  not.  Then  God  would  not  have 
spoken  of  another  time  when  that 
rest  could  be  obtained.  Tlie  '  other 
daif  here  referred  to  is  that  which  is 
mentioned  before  by  the  phrase  '  to- 
day,' and  refers  to  the  time  in  which 
it  is  spoken  of  long  after  Joshua,  to 
wit,  in  the  time  of  David. 

9.  There  remaineth,  therefore,  a  rest. 
This  is  the  conclusion  to  which  the 
apostle  comes.  The  meaning  is  this, 
that  according  to  tiie  Scriptures  there 
is  now  a  promise  of  rest  made  to  the 
people  of  God.  It  did  not  pertain 
merely  to  those  who  were  called  to 
go  to  the  promised  land,  nor  to  those 
who  lived  in  the  time  of  David,  but  it 
is  still  true  that  the  promise  of  rest  per- 
tains to  all  the  people  of  God  of  every 
generation.  Tlie  reasoning  by  which 
the  apostle  comes  to  this  conclusion 
is  briefly'  this.  (1.)  TJiat  there  was 
a  rest  —  called  'the  rest  of  God'  — 
spoken  of  in  the  earliest  period  of  the 
world — implying  that  God  meant  that 
it  should  be  enjoyed.  ('2.)  That  the 
Israelites,  to  whom  the  promise  was 
made,  failed  of  obtaining  that  which 
was  promised  by  their  unbelief.  (.3.) 
That  God  intended  that  simie  should 
enter  i;ito  his  rest — since  it  would  not 
be  provided  in  vain.  (4.)  That  long 
after  tlie  Israelites  liad  fallen  in  the 
wilderness,  we  find  the  same  refer- 
ence to  a  rest  which  David  in  his 
time  exhorts  those  whom  he  addressed 
to  endeavour  to  obtain.  (.5.)  That  if 
all  that  had  been  meant  by  the  word 
rest,  and  by  the  promise,  had  been 
accomplished  when  Joshua  conducted 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


101 


the  Israelites  to  the  land  of  Canaan, 

we  should  not  have  heard  another  day 
spoken  of  when  it  was  possible  to 
forfeit  that  rest  by  unbelief.  It  fol- 
lowed, theretbre,  that  there  was  some- 
thing besides  that ;  something  ^lat 
pertained  to  all  the  people  of  (jou  to 
which  the  name  rest  might  still  be 
given,  and  which  they  were  exliorted 
still  to  obtain.  'I'he  word  rest  in  this 
verse — caiiiiana^ibi — Sabbatism,  in  tjie 
margin  is  rendered  keeping  of  a  Sab- 
bath. It  is  a  different  word  from 
adjJjiaTov — the  Sabbath  ;  and  it  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament, 
and  is  not  found  in  the  Septuagint. 
It  properly  means  a  keeping  Sabbath 
— from  aaijjiari^u)  —  to  keep  Sabbath. 
This  word,  not  used  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, occurs  frequently  in  the  Sep- 
tuagint. Ex.  xvi.  30  ;  Lev.  xxiii.  32  ; 
xxvi.  35;  II.  Chron.  xxxvi.  21;  and 
in  III.  Esdr.  i.  58 ;  II.  Macca.  vi.  6. 
It  differs  from  the  word  Sabbath.  That 
denotes  the  time — the  day ;  this,  the 
keeping,  or  observance  of  it;  the  fes- 
tival. It  means  here  a  resting,  or 
an  observance  of  sacred  repose — and 
refers  undoubtedly  to  heaven,  as  a 
place  of  eternal  rest  with  God.  It  can- 
not mean  the  rest  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan— for  the  drift  of  tjjc  writer  is  to 
prove  that  that  is  not  intended.  It 
cannot  mean  the  Sabbath,  properly  so 
called — for  then  the  writer  would  have 
employed  the  usual  word  adiJi^arov — 
Sabbath.  It  cannot  mean  the  Chris- 
tian Sabbath — for  the  object  is  not  to 
prove  that  there  is  such  a  day  to  be 
observed,  and  his  reasoning  about  be- 
ing excluded  from  it  by  unbelief  and 
by  liardening  the  heart  would  be  irrel- 
evant. It  must  mean,  therefore,  hea- 
ven— the  world  of  spiritual  and  eter- 
nal rest;  and  the  assertion  is,  that 
there  is  such  a  resting,  or  keeping  of 
a  Sabbath  in  heaven  for  the  people  of 
God.  Learn  hence,  (1.)  that  heaven 
is  a  place  of  cessation  from  wearisome 
toil.  It  is  to  be  like  the  '  rest'  which 
God  had  after  the  work  of  creation 
(ver.  4,  Note),  and  of  which  that  was 
the  type  and  emblem.  There  will  be 
employment  there,  but  it  will  be  with- 
out fatigue ;  there  will  be  the  occu- 
9* 


pation  of  the  mind,  and  of  whatever 
powers  we  may  possess,  but  without 
weariness.  Here  we  are  often  worn 
down  and  exhausted.  The  body  sinks 
under  continued  toil,  and  falls  into 
the  grave.  There  the  slave  will  rest 
from  his  toil ;  the  man  here  oppressed 
and  broken  down  by  anxious  care 
will  cease  from  his  labours.  We 
know  but  little  of  heaven ;  but  we 
know  that  a  large  part  of  what  now 
oppresses  and  crushes  the  frame  will 
not  exist  there.  Slavery  will  be  un- 
known ;  the  anxious  care  for  sup- 
port will  be  unknown,  and  all  the  ex- 
haustion which  proceeds  from  the 
love  of  gain,  and  from  ambition,  will 
be  unknown.  In  the  wearisome  toils 
of  life,  tlien,  let  us  look  forward  to 
the  rest  that  remains  in  heaven,  and 
as  the  labourer  looks  to  the  shades  of 
the  evening,  or  to  the  Sabbath  as  a 
period  of  rest,  so  let  us  look  to  hea- 
ven as  the  place  of  eternal  repose. 
(2.)  Heaven  will  be  like  a  Sabbath. 
The  best  description  of  it  is  to  say  it 
is  an  eternal  Sabbath.  Take  the  Sab- 
bath on  earth  when  best  observed,  and 
extend  the  idea  to  eternity,  and  let 
there  be  separated  all  idea  of  imper- 
fection from  its  observance,  and  that 
would  be  heaven.  The  Sabbath  is 
holy  ;  so  is  heaven.  It  is  a  period  of 
worship  ;  so  is  heaven.  It  is  for  praise 
and  for  the  contemplation  of  heavenly 
truth ;  so  is  heaven.  The  Sabbath  is 
appointed  that  we  may  lay  aside 
worldly  cares  and  anxieties  for  a  lit- 
tle .season  here  ;  heaven  that  we  may 
lay  them  aside  for  ever.  (3.)  The 
Sabbath  here  should  be  like  heaven. 
It  is  designed  to  be  its  type  and  em- 
blem. So  far  as  the  circumstances 
of  the  case  will  allow,  it  should  be 
just  like  heaven.  There  should  be 
the  same  employments ;  the  same 
joys ;  the  same  communion  with  God. 
One  of  the  best  rules  for  employing 
the  Sabbath  aright  is,  to  think  what 
heaven  will  be,  and  then  to  endeavour 
to  spend  it  in  the  same  way.  One 
day  in  seven  at  least  should  remind 
us  of  w-hat  heaven  is  to  be  ;  and  that 
day  may  be,  and  should  be,  the  most 
happy  of  the  seven.     (4.)  They  who 


103 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


10  For    he    that    is    entered 
into  his  rest,  he  also  hath  ceased 

do  not  love  the  Sabbath  on  earth,  are 
not  prepared  for  heaven.  If  it  is  to 
them  a  day  of  tcdiousness;  if  its  liours 
move  heavily  ;  if  tlicy  have  no  delight 
in  its  sacredemploynicnts,  what  would 
an  eternity  of  sueh  days  be  ?  How 
would  they  be  passed  ?  Nothing'  can 
be  clearer  than  that  if  wc  have  no 
sucli  happiness  in  a  season  of  holy 
rest,  and  in  holy  employments  liere, 
we  are  wholly  unprepared  for  hea- 
ven. To  the  Christian  it  is  the  sub- 
ject of  the  highest  joy  in  anticipa- 
tion that  heaven  is  to  be  one  long  un- 
broken Sabdatii — an  eternity  of  suc- 
cessive Sabbath  hours.  But  what 
to  a  sinner  could  be  a  more  rcpul- 
Bive  and  gloomy  prospect  than  such 
an  eternal  Sabbath  ?  (5.)  If  this 
be  so,  then  what  a  melanciioly  view 
is  furnislicd  as  to  the  actual  pre- 
paration of  tlie  great  mass  of  men 
for  heaven !  How  is  the  Sabbath 
now  spent?  In  idleness;  in  business; 
in  travelling ;  in  hunting  and  lishing  ; 
in  light  reading  and  conversation ; 
in  sleep;  in  visiting;  in  riding,,  walk- 
ing, lounging,  ennui; — in  revelry  and 
dissipation ;  in  any  and  every  way 
except  the  right  toay ;  in  every  way 
except  in  holy  comnmnion  with  God. 
What  would  the  race  be  if  once  trans- 
lated to  heaven  as  they  are  !  What 
a  prospect  would  it  be  to  tliis  multi- 
tude to  have  to  spend  an  eternity 
which  would  be  but  a  prolongation 
of  the  Sabbath  of  holiness  !  (G.)  Let 
those  who  love  the  Sabbatli  rejoice  in 
the  prospect  of  eternal  rest  in  iicavcn. 
In  our  labour  let  us  look  to  that  world 
where  wearisome  toil  is  unknown ; 
in  our  afflictions,  let  us  look  to  that 
world  where  tears  never  fall ;  and 
when  our  hearts  are  pained  by  tlie 
violation  of  tlie  Sabbath  all  around 
us,  let  us  look  to  tliat  blessed  world 
where  such  violation  will  cease  for 
ever.  It  is  not  far  distant.  A  few 
steps  will  bring  us  tlicre.  Of  any 
Christian  it  may  be  said  that  perhaps 
?Ms  ncxtSabbatii  will  be  spent  in  hea- 
ven— near  the  throne  of  God. 


from  his  own  works,  as  God  did 
from  his. 


10.  For  he  that  is  entered  into  rest. 
That  is,  the  man  who  is  so  happy  as 
to  reach  heaven,  will  enjoy  a  rest 
siiAilar  to  that  which  God  had  when 
he  finished  the  work  of  creation.  It 
will  be  (1)  a  cessation  from  toil ;  and 
(2)  it  will  be  a  rest  similar  to  that  of 
God  —  the  same  kind  of  enjoyment, 
the  same  freedom  from  care,  anxiety, 
and  labour.  How  Jiappy  then  are 
tliey  who  have  entered  into  heaven ! 
Their  toils  are  over.  Their  labours 
are  done.  Never  again  will  they  know 
fatigue.  Never  more  will  they  feel 
anxious  care.  Let  us  learn  then  (1.) 
not  to  mourn  improperly  for  those 
wlio  have  left  us  and  gone  to  heaven. 
Happy  in  the  rest  of  God,  why  should 
not  we  rejoice  ?  Why  wish  them 
back  again  in  a  v^orld  of  toil  ?  (2.) 
Let  us  in  our  toils  look  forward  to 
tlie  world  of  rest.  Our  labours  will 
all  be  over.  The  weary  man  will  lay 
down  his  burden ;  the  exhausted 
frame  will  know  fatigue  no  more. 
Rest  is  sweet  at  night  after  the  toils 
of  day ;  how  much  more  sweet  will 
it  be  in  heaven  atl.er  the  toils  of  life  I 
Let  us  (3.)  labour  while  it  is  called  to- 
day. Soon  we  shall  cease  from  our 
work.  All  that  we  have  to  do  is  to 
be  done  soon.  We  shall  soon  cease 
from  our  work  as  God  did  from  liis, 
AV'^hat  wc  have  to  do  for  the  salvation 
of  children,  brothers,  sisters,  friends, 
and  for  the  world,  is  to  be  done  soon. 
From  the  abodes  of  bliss  we  shall  not 
be  sent  forth  to  speak  to  our  kindred 
of  the  blessedness  of  that  world,  or  to 
admonish  our  friends  to  escape  from 
the  place  of  despair.  The  pastor  will 
not  come  again  to  warn  and  invite 
his  people  ;  the  parent  will  not  come 
again  to  tell  his  children  of  the  Sa- 
viour and  of  heaven  ;  tlie  neighbour 
will  not  come  to  admonish  his  neigh- 
bour. Comp.  Luke  xvi.  24 — 29.  We 
siiall  ALL  have  ceased  from  our  work 
as  God  did  from  his  ;  and  never  again 
shall  we  speak  to  a  living  friend  to 
invite  him  to  heaven. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


103 


11  Let  «  us  labour  therefore 
to  enter  into  that  rest,  lest  any 
man  fall  after  the  same  exam- 
ple of '  unbelief. 

a  2  Pe.  1.  10.        1  or,  disobedience. 

11.  Let  us  therefore  labour.  Let  us 
earnestly  strive.  Since  there  is  a 
rest  whose  attainment  is  worth  all 
our  efforts ;  since  so  many  have 
failed  of  reaching  it  by  their  unbelief, 
and  since  there  is  so  much  danger 
that  we  niay  fail  of  it  also,  let  us 
give  all  diligence  that  we  may  enter 
into  it.  Heaven  is  never  obtained 
but  by  diligence,  and  no  one  enters 
there  who  does  not  earnestly  desire 
it,  and  who  does  not  make  a  sincere 
effort  to  reach  it.  IT  Of  unbelief. 
Marg.  disobedience.  The  word  un- 
belief best  expresses  the  sense,  as  the 
apostle  was  showing  that  this  was 
the  principal  thing  that  prevented 
men  from  entering  into  heaven.  See 
Notes  ch.  iii.  12. 

12.  For  the  word  of  God.  The  de- 
sign of  this  and  the  following  verse 
is  obvious.  It  is  to  show  that  we 
cannot  escape  the  notice  of  God  ;  that 
all  insincerity,  unbelief,  hypocrisy, 
will  be  detected  by  him;  and  that 
since  our  hearts  are  perfectly  open 
before  him,  we  should  be  sincere  and 
should  not'  attempt  to  deceive  him. 
The  sense  is,  that  the  truth  of  God  is 
all-penetrating  and  searching,  and 
that  the  real  thoughts  and  intents  of 
the  heart  will  be  brought  to  light, 
and  that  if  there  is  insincerity  and 
self-deception  there  can  be  no  hope 
of  escape.  There  has  been  a  great 
variety  of  opinion  here  about  the 
meaning  of  the  phrase  '  the  word  of 
God.'      Some  have  supposed  that  it 

t  means  the  Lord  Jesus ;  others,  the 
whole  of  the  divine  revelation  ;  others 
the  gospel ;  otJiers  the  particular 
threatening  referred  to  here.  The 
'  word  of  God'  is  that  which  God 
speaks — whether  it  be  a  promise  or  a 
threatening ;  whether  it  be  law  or 
gospel ;  whether  it  be  a  simple  decla- 
ration or  a  statement  of  a  doctrine. 
The  idea  herfe  is,  that  what  God  had 


12  For  the  word*  of  God  is 
quick,  and  powerful,  and  sharp, 
er  than  any  two-edged  sword," 
piercing  even  to  the   dividing 

6  Is.  49.  2.  c  Ke.  1.  16. 


said  is  fitted  to  detect  hypocrisy  and 
to  lay  open  the  true  nature  of  the 
feelings  of  the  soul,  so  that  there  can 
be  no  escape  for  the  guilty.  His 
truth  is  adapted  to  bring  out  the  real 
feelings,  and  to  show  man  exactly 
what  he  is.  Truth  always  has  this 
power  —  whether  preached,  or  read, 
or  communicated  by  conversation,  or 
impressed  upon  the  memory  and  con- 
science by  the  Holy  Spirit.  There 
can  be  no  escape  from  the  penetrat- 
ing, searching  application  of  the  word 
of  God.  That  truth  has  power  to 
show  what  man  is,  and  is  like  a 
penetrating  sword  that  lays  open  the 
whole  man.  Comp.  Isa.  xlix.  2.  The 
phrase  'the  word  of  God'  here  may 
be  applied,  therefore,  to  the  truth  of 
God  however  made  known  to  the 
mind.  In  some  way  it  will  bring 
out  the  real  feelings,  and  show  what 
man  is.  ^  Is  quick.  Gr.  ^Oiv — living. 
It  is  not  dead,  inert,  and  powerless. 
It  has  a  living-  power,  and  is  energetio 
and  active.  It  is  adapted  to  produce 
this  effect.  If  And  powerful.  Mighty. 
Its  power  is  seen  in  awakening  the 
conscience  ;  alarming  the  fears  ;  lay- 
ing bare  the  secret  feelings  of  the 
heart,  and  causing  the  sinner  to 
tremble  with  the  apprehension  of  the 
coming  judgment.  "  All  the  great 
changes  in  the  moral  world  for  the 
better,  have  been  caused  by  the  power 
of  truth.  They  are  such  as  the  truth 
in  its  own  nature  is  fitted  to  effect, 
and  if  we  may  judge  of  its  power  by 
the  greatness  of  the  revolutions  pro- 
duced, no  words  can  over-estimate  the 
might  of  the  truth  which  God  has  re- 
vealed. If  Sharper  than  any  two- 
edged  sword.  Literally,  tioo-mouthed 
sword  —  diuToitov.  The*  word  mouth 
was  given  to  the  sword  because  it 
seemed  to  devour  all  before  it.  It 
consumed  or  destroyed  as  a  wild  beast 
does.     The  comparison  of  the  word 


104 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  U.  64. 


asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and 
of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is 


of  God  to  a  sword  or  to  an  arrow,  is 
designed  to  sliow  its  power  of  pene- 
trating the  heart.  Eccl.  xii.  11. 
"  The  words  of  the  wise  are  as  goads, 
and  as  nails  fastened  by  tlie  masters  i 
of  assemblies."  Comi).  Isa.  xlix.  2. 
"  And  he  hath  made  my  moutli  like  a 
sharp  sword."  Rev.  i.  16.  "And 
out  of  his  mouth  went  a  sharp  two- 
edged  sword,"  ii.  12.  16;  xix.  15. 
The  comparison  is  common  in  tlie 
classics,  and  in  Arabic  poetry.  See 
Gesenius,  on  Isa.  xlix.  2.  The  idea 
is  that  of  piercing,  or  penetrating ; 
and  the  meaning  here  is,  that  the 
word  of  God  reaches  the  hearl — the 
very  centre  of  action,  and  lays  open 
the  motives  and  feelings  of  the  man. 
It  was  common  among  the  5,ncicnts 
to  have  a  sword  with  two  edges.  The 
Roman  sword  was  commonly  made 
in  this  manner.  The  fact  that  it  had 
two  edges  made  it  more  easy  to  pene- 
trate, as  well  as  to  cut  with  every  way. 
IT  Piercing  even  to  the  dioiding  asun- 
der. Penetrating  so  as  to  divide. 
IT  Soul  and  spirit.  The  animal  life 
from  the  immortal  soul.  Tlie  former 
word  here — X^X'i — ^""^ — i^  evidently 
used  to  denote  the  animal  life,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  the  mind  or  soul. 
The  latter  word  —  wivfia — spirit  — 
means  the  soul;  the  immaterial  and 
immortal  part ;  that  which  lives 
when  the  animal  life  is  extinct.  This 
distinction  occurs  in  I.  Thess.  v.  23, 
"your  whole  spirit,  and  soul,  and 
body ;"  and  it  is  a  distinction  which 
we  arc  constantly  in  the  habit  of 
making.  There  is  the  body  in  man — 
the  animal  life  —  and  the  immortal 
part  that  leaves  the  body  when  life  is 
extinct.  Mysteriously  united,  they 
constitute  one  man.  When  the  animal 
life  is  separated  from  the  soul,  or 
when  the  soul  leaves  the  animated 
body,  the  body  dies,  and  life  is  extinct. 
To  separate  the  one  from  tlie  other 
is,  therefore,  the  same  as  to  take  life — 
and  this  is  the  idea  here,  that  the 
word  of  God  is   like  a  sharp  sword 


a   discerner »   of  the    thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart. 

a  Pb.  J39.  2.  Je.  17.  10.  Re.  2.  23. 

that  inflicts  deadly  wounds.  The 
sinner  "  dies ;" — that  is,  he  becomes 
dead  to  his  former  hopes,  or  is 
"  slain"  by  the  law.  Rom.  vii.  9.  "  I 
was  alive  without  tlie  law  once  ;  but 
when  tlie  commandment  came,  sin 
revived,  and  I  died."  This  is  the 
power  referred  to  here — the  jiowcr  of 
destroying  the  hopes  of  the  sinner ; 
cutting  him  down  under  conviction; 
and  prostrating  him  as  if  a  sword  had 
pierced  his  heart.  II  And  of  the  joints 
and  marrow.  The  figure  is  still  con- 
tinued of  the  sword  that  takes  life. 
Such  a  sword  would  seem  to  penetrate 
even  the  joints  and  marrow  of  the 
body.  It  would  separate  the  joints, 
and  pierce  through  the  very  bones  to 
the  marrow.  A  similar  effect,  Paul 
says,  is  produced  by  truth.  It  seems 
to  penetrate  the  very  essence  of  the 
soul,  and  lay  it  all  open  to  the  view. 
"T  And  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts. 
It  shows  what  the  thoughts  and  in- 
tentions  are.  Prof.  Stuart,  Bloomfield, 
and  some  others,  suppose  that  the  re- 
ference  here  is  to  God  speaking  by 
his  word.  But  the  more  natural  con- 
struction  certainly  is,  to  refer  it  to 
the  word  or  truth  of  God.  It  is  true 
that  God  searches  the  heart,  and 
knows  the  thoughts,  but  that  is  not 
the  truth  which  is  prominent  here. 
It  is,  tliat  the  thoughts  and  intents 
of  the  heart  are  brought  out  to  view 
bjj  the  XVord  of  God.  ^\jid  can  any 
one  doubt  this  ?  See  Rom.  vii.  7.  Is 
it  not  true  that  men  are  made  to  see 
their  real  character  under  the  exhibi- 
tion of  the  truth  of  God  ?  That  in 
the  light  of  the  law  they  sec  their  past 
lives  to  be  sinful  ?  That  the  cxliibi- 
tion  of  truth  calls  to  their  recollection 
many  long-forgotten  sins  ?  And  that 
their  real  feelings  are  brought  out 
when  the  truth  of  God  is  proclaimed  ? 
Men  then  are  made  to  look  upon  their 
motives  as  they  had  never  done  be- 
fore, and  to  see  in  their  hearts  feel- 
ings whose  existence  they  would  not 
have  suspected  if  it  had  not  been  for 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


105 


13  Neither  is  there  any  crea- 
ture that  is  not  manifest  in  his 
sight :  but  all  things  are  naked  '^ 

the  exhibition  of  the  truth.  The  cx- 
liibition  of  the  trutli  is  like  pouring; 
down  the  beams  of  the  sun  at  mid- 
night on  a  dark  world ;  and  the  truth 
lays  open  the  real  feeling's  of  the  sin- 
ner as  that  sun  would  disclose  the 
clouds  of  wickedness  that  are  now 
performed  under  cover  of  the  niglit. 
Many  a  man  lias  a  deep  and  fixed 
liostility  to  God  and  to  his  gospel  who 
miglit  never  be  sensible  of  it  if  the 
truth  was  not  faithfully  proclaimed. 
The  particular  idea  here  is,  that  tlie 
truth  of  God  will  detect  the  feelings 
of  the  hypocrite  and  self-deceiver. 
They  camiot  always  conceal  their 
emotions,  and  the  time  will  come 
when  truth,  like  light  poured  into  the 
soul,  will  reveal  their  unbelief  and 
their  secret  sins.  They  who  are  che- 
rishing a  hope  of  salvation,  therefore, 
should  be  on  their  guard  lest  they 
mistake  the  name  for  the  reality. 
Let  us  learn  from  this  verse,  (1.)  the 
power  of  trutli.  It  is  JiUed  to  lay 
open  the  secret  feelings  of  the  soul. 
There  is  not  an  eifect  produced  in 
awakening  a  sinner ;  or  in  his  convic- 
tion, conversion,  and  sanctification, 
which  the  truth  is  not  adapted  to  pro- 
duce. The  truth  of  God  is  not  dead  ; 
nor  fitted  to  make  men  worse ;  nor 
designed  merely  to  show  its  own 
weakness,  and  to  be  a  mere  occasion 
on  which  the  Holy  Spirit  acts  on  the 
mind  ; — it  is  in  its  own  nature  fitted 
to  produce  just  the  effects  which  are 
produced  when  it  awakens,  convicts, 
converts,  and  sanctifies  the  soul.  (2.) 
The  truth  should  be  preached  with 
the  feeling  that  it  is  adapted  to  tliis 
end.  Men  who  preach  should  endea- 
vour to  understand  the  nature  of  the 
mind  and  of  the  moral  feelings,  as 
really  as  he  who  would  inflict  a  deadly 
wound  should  endeavour  to  under- 
stand enough  about  anatomy  to  know 
where  the  heart  is,  or  he  who  admi- 
nisters medicine  should  endeavour  to 
know  what  is  adapted  to  remove  t:v.r- 


and  opened  unto  the  eyes  of  him 
with  whom  we  have  to  do. 

a  Pr.  15.  11. 


tain  diseases.  And  he  who  has  no 
belief  in  the  efficacy  of  truth  to  pro- 
duce any  effect,  resembles  one  who 
should  suppose  that  all  knowledge  of 
the  human  system  was  needless  to 
him  who  wished  to  perform  a  suro-j. 
cal  operation,  and  who  should  cut  at. 
random — piously  leaving  it  with  God 
to  direct  the  knife  ;  or  he  who  should 
go  into  a  hospital  of  patients  and  ad- 
minister medicines  indiscriminately 
—  devoutly  saying  tliat  all  healing 
must  come  from  God,  and  that  the 
use  of  medicine  was  only  to  show  its 
own  weakness !  Thus  many  men 
seem  to  preach.  Yet  for  aught 
that  appears,  truth  is  just  as  wisely 
adapted  to  save  the  soul  as  medi- 
cine is  to  heal  the  sick;  and  why 
then  should  not  a  preacher  be  as  care- 
ful to  study  the  nature  of  truth  and 
its  adaptedness  to  a  particular  end,  as 
a  student  of  the  healing  art  is  to  un- 
derstand tlie  adaptedness  of  medicine 
to  cure  disease?  The  true  way  of 
preaching  is,  to  feel  that  truth  is 
adapted  to  the  end  in  view  ;  to  select 
that  which  is  best  fitted  for  that  end ; 
to  preach  as  if  the  whole  result  de- 
pended on  getting  that  truth  before 
the  mind  and  into  the  heart  —  and 
then  to  leave  the  whole  result  with 
God — as  a  physician  with  right  feel- 
ings will  exert  all  his  skill  to  save 
his  patient,  and  then  commit  the 
whole  question  of  life  and  health  to 
God.  He  will  be  more  likely  to  praise 
God  intelligently  w^ho  believes  that  he 
has  wisely  adapted  a  plan  to  the  end 
in  view,  tJian  he  who  believes  that 
God  works  only  at  random. 

1.3.  Neither  is  there  any  creature 
that  is  not  7nanifest  in  hi^sia-ht.  There 
is  no  being  who  is  not  wholly  known 
to  God.  All  his  thoughts,  feelings, 
plans,  are  distinctly  understood.  Of 
the  truth  of  this  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
The  design  of  the  remark  here  is,  to 
guard  those  to  whom  the  apostle  was 
writing    from    self-deception  —  since 


106 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4 


they  could  conceal  nothing  from  God. 
1i  All  things  are  naked.  Exposed ; 
uncovered.  Tlierc  is  nothin<r  that 
can  be  concealed  from  God.  Ps. 
cxxxix.  11, 12. 

"The  veil  of  niL'lit  is  no  ilisguise. 
No  screen  Iroin  Iliy  all  searching  eyes; 
Thy  hands  can  seize  thy  foes  as  soon 
Thro'  midnight  shades  as  blazing  noon." 

^  And  opened — rcrpaxv^Kri^ifa-  The 
word  here  used — Tpax^n^i^ui — proper- 
ly means  (1.)  to  lay  bare  the  neck, 
or  to  bend  it  back,  so  as  to  expose  the 
throat  to  being  cut.  (2.)  To  expose  ; 
to  li^y  open  in  any  way.  Why  the 
word  is  used  here  lias  been  a  matter 
of  inquiry.  Some  have  supposed  that 
the  phrase  is  derived  from  otfering- 
sacrifice,  and  from  the  fact  that  the 
priest  carefully  examined  the  victim 
to  sec  whether  it  was  sound,  before  it 
was  offered.  But  this  is  manifestly 
a  forced  exposition.  Others  have 
supposed  that  it  is  derived  from  the 
custom  of  bending  back  the  head  of 
a.  criminal  so  as  to  look  full  in  his 
face,  and  recognise  him  so  as  not  to 
be  mistaken ;  but  this  is  equally 
forccd-and  unnatural.  This  opinion 
was  first  proposed  by  Erasmus,  and 
has  been  adopted  by  Clarke  and 
others.  Bloomlicld,  following,  as  he 
says,  the  intcrprefcation  of  Chrysos- 
toin,  Grotius  (though  this  is  not  the 
sentiment  of  Grotius),  Beza,  Atling, 
Hammond,  and  others,  supposes  the 
allusion  to  be  to  tiie  custom  of  cutting 
the  animal  down  tlic  back  bone 
tlirougli  the  spinal  marrow,  and  thus 
of  laying  it  open  entirely.  This  sense 
would  well  suit  the  connexion.  Gro- 
tius supposes  tliat  it  means  to  strip 
off  the  skin  by  dividing  it  at  tlie  neck, 
and  tlien  removing  it.  Tliis  view  is 
also  adopted  substantially  by  Dod- 
dridge. These  explanations  are  forced, 
and  imply  a  departure  more  or  less 
from  the  projv^r  meaning  of  the  Greek 
word.  The  most  simple  and  obvious 
meaning  is  usually  the  best  in  ex- 
plaining the  Bible.  Tlie  word  which 
the  apostle  employs  relates  to  the 
neck — rpd^'i^'Oi — and  not  to  the  spinal 
marrow,  or  the  skin.  Tlie  proper 
meaning  of  the  verb  is  tn  hend  the 


neck  hack  so  as  to  expose  it  in  front 
when  an  animal  is  slain.  I'assuw. 
Then  it  means  to  make  bare ;  to  re- 
move everything  like  covering ;  to 
expose  a  thing  entirely — as  the  naked 
neck  is  for  tiic  knife.  The  allusion  hero 
is  undoubtedly  to  the  sword  wliich  Pat'I 
had  referred  to  in  the  previous  verse, 
as  dividing  the  soul  and  spirit,  and  the 
joints  and  marrow  ;  and  the  meaning 
is,  tiiat  in  the  hand  of  God,  who  held 
that  sword,  everything  was  exposed. 
We  are  in  relation  to  that,  like  an 
animal  whose  neck  is  bent  back,  and 
laid  bare,  and  ready  tor  the  slaugiiter. 
Nothing  hinders  God  from  striking ; 
there  is  nothing  that  can  prevent  that 
sword  from  penetrating  the  hearts 
any  more  than  when  the  neck  of  the 
animal  is  bent  back  and  laid  bare, 
there  is  anything  that  can  hinder  the 
sacrificing  priest  from  thrusting  the 
knife  into  the  throat  of  the  victim. 
If  this  be  the  true  interpretation, 
then  what  an  affecting  view  does  it 
give  of  the  power  of  God,  and  of  the 
exposedness  of  man  to  destruction! 
All  is  bare,  naked,  open.  There  is 
no  concealment ;  no  hindrance ;  no 
power  of  resistance.  In  a  moment 
God  can  strike,  and  his  dreadful  sen- 
tence shall  fall  on  the  sinner  like  the 
knife  ou  the  exposed  throat  of  the 
victim.  What  emotions  should  the 
sinner  have  who  feels  that  he  is  ex- 
posed  each  moment  to  the  sentence  of 
eternal  justice — to  the  sword  of  God 
— as  the  animal  with  bent-back  neck 
is  exposed  to  the  knife  !  And  what 
solemn  feelings  should  all  have  who 
remember  that  all  is  naked  and  open 
before  God !  Were  we  transparent 
so  titat  the  world  could  see  all  we 
are,  who  would  dare  go  abroad  ? 
Who  would  wish  the  world  to  read 
all  his  thoughts  and  feelings  for  a 
single  da}'  ?  Who  would  wish  his 
best  IriL-nds  to  l'X)k  in  upon  his  naked 
soul  as  we  can  look  into  a  room 
tlirougli  a  window  !  O  wliat  blushes 
and  confusion  ;  what  a  hanging  down 
of  the  head,  and  what  an  elVort  to 
escape  from  tlie  gaze  of  men  would 
there  be,  if  every  one  knew  that  all 
his  secret  feelings  were  seen  by  every 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


107 


14  Seeing  then  that  we  have 
a  great  high  priest,  that  is 
passed  "  into  the  heavens,  Jesus 

person  whom  he  met !  Social  enjoy- 
ment would  end ;  and  the  now  gay 
and  blitlie  multitudes  in  the  streets 
would  become  processions  of  down- 
cast and  blusliing  convicts.  And  yet 
all  these  are  known  to  God.  He 
reads  every  thought ;  sees  every  feel- 
ing ;  looks  through  the  whole  soul. 
How  careful  should  we  be  to  keep 
our  hearts  pure ;  how  anxious  that 
there  should  be  nothing  in  the  sou) 
that  we  are  not  willing  to  have  known  ! 
^  With  whom  ice  have  to  do.  Literally, 
with  whom  is  our  account.  Our  ac- 
count; our  reckoning  is  to  be  with 
him  before  whom  all  is  naked  and 
open.  We  cannot,  therefore,  impose 
on  him.  We  cannot  pass  off  hypo- 
crisy for  sincerity.  He  will  judge  us 
according  to  truth,  not  according  to 
appearances  ;  and  his  sentence,  there- 
fore, will  be  just.  A  man  who  is  to 
be  tried  by  one  who  knows  all  about 
him,  should  be  a  pure  and  holy  man. 
14.  Seeing  then  that  we  have  a  great 
high  priest.  The  apostle  here  resumes 
the  subject  which  had  been  slightly 
hinted  at  in  ch.  ii.  17,  iii.  1,  and-pur- 
sues  it  to  tlie  end  of  ch.  x.  Tlie  ob- 
■  ject  is  to  show  tliat  Christians  have  a 
great  High  Priest  as  really  as  the  Jews 
had ;  to  show  wherein  he  surpassed 
the  Levitical  priestliood  ;  to  show  how 
all  that  was  said  of  the  Aaronic 
priesthood,  and  all  the  types  pertain- 
ing to  that  priesthood,  were  fulfilled 
in  the  Lord  Jesus ;  and  to  state  and 
illustrate  the  nature  of  the  consola- 
tions which  Christians  might  derive 
from  the  fact  that  they  had  such  an 
High  Priest.  One  of  the  things  on 
which  the  Jews  most  valued  tlicir  re- 
ligion, was  the  fact  that  it  had  such 
a  minister  of  religion  as  their  high 
priest — the  most  elevated  llmctionary 
of  that  dispensation.  It  came  there- 
fore to  be  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  show  that  Christianity  was  not  in- 
ferior to  the  Jewish  religion  in  this 
respect,  and  that  the  High  Priest  of 
the  Christian   profession  would   not 


the  Son  of -God,  let  us  hold* 
fast  our  profession. 

a  c  9.  12. 24.  6  c.  10.  23. 

suffer  in  point  of  dignity,  and  in  the 
value  of  the  blood  with  which  he 
would  approach  God,  and  in  the  effi- 
cacy of  his  intercession,  when  com 
pared  with  the  Jewish  high  priest. 
Moreover,  it  was  a  doctrine  of  Chris- 
tianity that  tlie  Jewish  ritual  was  to 
pass  away  ;  and  its  temple  services 
cease  to  be  observed.  It  was,  tliere- 
fore,  of  vast  importance  to  show  why 
they  passed  away,  and  how  they  were 
superseded.  To  do  this,  the  apostle 
is  led  into  this  long  discussion  re- 
specting their  nature.  He  shows 
that  they  were  designed  to  be  typical. 
He  proves  that  they  could  not  purify 
the  heart,  and  give  peace  to  the  con- 
science. He  proves  that  they  were 
all  intended  to  point  to  something 
future,  and  to  introduce  the  Messiah 
to  the  world ;  and  that  when  this  ob- 
ject was  accomplished,  tlicir  great 
end  was  secured,  and  they  were  thua 
all  fulfilled.  In  no  part  of  the  Bible 
can  there  be  found  so  full  an  account 
of  the  design  of  the  Mosaic  institu- 
tions, as  in  clis.  v. — x.  of  this  epistle; 
and  were  it  not  for  this,  the  volume 
of  inspiration  would  be  incomplete. 
We  should  be  left  in  the  dark  on 
some  of  the  most  important  subjects 
in  revelation ;  we  should  ask  ques- 
tions for  whicli  we  could  find  no  cer- 
tain answer.  The  phrase  '  great  high 
priest'  here  is  used  with  relerence  to 
a  known  usage  among  the  Jews.  In 
the  time  of  the  apostle  the  name  high 
priest  pertained  not  only  to  him  who 
actually  held  the  office,  and  who  had 
the  right  to  enter  into  the  holy  of 
holies,  but  to  his  deputy,  and  to  those 
who  had  held  the  office  but  who  had 
retired  from  it,  and  perhaps  also  the 
name  was  given  *to  the  head  of  each 
one  of  the  twenty-four  courses  or 
classes  into  which  tlie  priests  were 
divided.  Comp.  Notes  Luke  i.  5 ; 
Matt.  xxvi.  3.  The  name  'great 
high  priest'  would  designate  him  who 
actually  held  the  office,  and  was  at 
the  head  of  all  the  other  priests ;  and 


108 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


15  For  we  have  not  an  high 
priest  which  cannot  be  touched 
"  with  the  feeling  of  our  infir- 

g  llo.  II.  P. 

the  idea  here  is,  not  merely  tliat  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  a  priest,  but  tliat  lie 
was  at  the  head  of  all ;  in  the  Chris- 
tian economy  he  sustained  a  rank 
tliat  corresponded  with  that   of  the 

frcat  high  priest  in  the  Jewish. 
That  is  passed  into  the  heavens. 
Ch.  ix.  12.  24.  The  Jewish  high 
priest  went  once  a  year  into  the  most 
holy  place  in  the  temple,  to  oiTer  the 
blood  of  the  atonement.  Notes  on 
ch.  ix.  7.  Paul  says  that  the  Chris- 
tian High  Priest  has  gone  into  hea- 
ven. He  has  gone  there  also  to  make 
intercession,  and  to  sprinkle  the  blood 
of  the  atonement  on  the  mercy-seat. 
Notes  ch.  ix.  24,  25.  ^  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God.  Not  a  descendant  of  Aaron, 
but  one  much  greater  —  the  Son  of 
God.  Notes  ch.  i.  2.  IT  Lei  vs  hold 
fast  our  profession.  See  Notes  ch.  x. 
23  ;  iii.  14.  Note  ch.  iii.  1.  This  is 
the  drift  and  scope  of  the  epistle — -to 
show  that  Christians  should  hold  fest 
their  profession,  and  not  apostatize. 
The  object  of  the  apostle  now  is  to 
show  why  the  fact  that  we  have  such 
a  High  Priest,  is  a  reason  why  we 
should  hold  fast  our  professed  attach- 
ment to  him.  These  reasons — which 
are  drawn  out  in  the  succeeding  chap- 
ters— are  such  as  the  following.  (1.) 
We  may  look  to  him  for  assistance — 
since  he  can  be  touched  witli  the  feel- 
ing of  our  infirmities.  Ch.  iv.  15,  16- 
(2.)  The  impossibility  of  being  re- 
newed again  if  we  should  fall  away 
from  him,  since  there  is  but  one  such 
High  Priest,  and  since  the  sacrifice 
for  sin  can  never  be  repeated.  Ch.  vi. 
(3.)  The  fact  that  all  the  ancient 
types  were  fulfilled  in  him,  and  that 
everything  whicli  tJicrc  was  in  the 
Jewish  dispensation  to  keep  men  from 
apostasy,  exists  much  more  powerfully 
in  the  Christian  scheme.  (4.)  The 
fact  that  they  who  rejected  the  laws 
of  Moses  died  without  mercy,  and 
much  more  any  one  who  should  re- 
ject the  Son  of  God  must  expect  more 


mities ;  but  was  in  all  points 
tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet 
without*  sin. 

b  1  Pe.  'J.  22.   1  Jno.  3.  5. 

certain  and  fearful  severity.  Ch.  x. 
27 — 30.  By  considerations  such  as 
these,  the  apHjstle  aims  to  show  tliein 
the  danger  of  apostasy,  and  to  urge 
them  to  a  faithful  adherence  to  their 
Christian  profession. 

1.5.  For  we  have  not  an  hirrh  priest 
which  cannot  he  touched.  Our  High 
Priest  is  not  cold  and  unfeciing. 
That  is,  we  have  one  who  is  abun- 
dantly qualified  to  sympathize  with 
us  in  our  afllictions,  and  to  whom, 
therefore,  we  may  look  for  aid  and 
support  in  trials.  Had  we  a  high 
priest  who  was  cold  and  heartless ; 
who  simply  performed  the  external 
duties  of  his  office  without  entering 
into  the  sympathies  of  those  who 
came  to  seek  for  pardon ;  who  had 
never  experienced  any  trials,  and  who 
felt  himself  above  those  who  sought 
his  aid,  we  should  necessarily  feel 
disheartened  in  attempting  to  over 
come  our  sins,  and  to  live  to  God. 
His  coldness  would  repel  us ;  his 
statcliness  would  awe  us ;  his  dis- 
tance  and  reserve  would  keep  us 
away,  and  perhaps  render  us  indiffer- 
ent to  all  desire  to  be  saved.  But 
tenderness  and  sympathy  attract  those 
who  are  feeble,  and  kindness  does 
more  than  anything  else  to  encourage 
tliose  who  have  to  encounter  dilhcul- 
ties  and  dangers.  See  Notes  ch.  ii. 
16 — 18.  Such  tenderness  and  sym- 
pathy  has  our  Great  High  Priest. 
If  But  was  in  all  points  tempted  like 
as  we  are.  Tried  as  we  are.  See 
Notes  ch.  ii.  18.  lie  was  subjected 
to  all  tlie  kinds  of  trial  to  which  we 
can  be,  and  he  is,  therefore,  able  to 
sympathize  with  us  and  to  aid  us. 
He  was  tempted — in  the  literal  sense; 
ho  was  persecuted  ;  he  was  poor ;  he 
was  despised ;  he  suffered  bodily  pain ; 
he  endured  the  sorrows  of  a  lingering 
and  most  cruel  death.  ^  Yet  ipithout 
sin.  I.  Pet.  ii.  22.  "  Who  did  no  sin." 
Isa.  liii.  9.  "  He  had  done  no  violence, 
neither  was  there  anv  deceit  in  his 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IV. 


109 


16  Let  us  therefore  come 
boldly  "  unto  the  throne  of 
grace,    that    we    may    obtain 

mouth."  Heb.  vii.  26.  "  Who  is  holy, 
harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from 
smm;rs."  The  importance  of  this 
fact — that  the  Great  High  Priest  of 
the  Christian  profession  was  'without 
sin,'  the  apostle  illustrates  at  length 
in  chs.  vii.  —  ix.  He  here  merely 
alludes  to  it,  and  says  that  one  who 
was  '  without  sin'  was  able  to  assist 
those  who  were  sinners,  and  who  put 
their  trust  in  him. 

16.  Let  us  therefore  come  boldly  unto 
the  throne  of  geace.  '  The  throne  of 
grace  !'  What  a  beautiful  expression. 
A  throne  is  the  seat  of  a  sovereign  ; 
a  throne  of  grace  is  designed  to  re- 
present a  sovereign  seated  to  dispense 
mercy  and  pardon.  The  illustration 
or  comparison  here  may  have  been 
derived  from  the  temple  service.  In 
that  service  God  is  represented  as 
seated  in  the  most  holy  place  on  the 
mercy-seat.  The  high  priest  ap- 
proaches that  seat  or  throne  of  the 
divine  majesty  with  the  blood  of  the 
atonement  to  make  intercession  for 
the  people,  and  to  plead  for  pardon. 
See  Notes  on  ch.  ix.  7,  8.  That  scene 
was  emblematic  of  heaven.  God  is 
seated  on  a  throne  of  mercy.  The 
great  High  Priest  of  the  Christian 
calling,  having  shed  his  own  blood  to 
make  expiation,  is  represented  as  ap- 
proaching God  and»  pleading  for  the 
pardon  of  men.  To  a  God  willing  to 
show  mercy  he  comes  with  the  merits 
of  a  sacrifice  sufficient  for  all,  and 
pleads  for  their  salvation.  We  may, 
therefore,  come  with  boldness  and 
look  for  pardon.  We  come  not  de- 
pending on  our  own  merits,  but  we 
come  where  a  sufficient  sacrifice  has 
been  offered  for  human  guilt ;  and 
where  we  are  assured  that  God  is  mer- 
ciful. We  may,  therefore,  come  with- 
out hesitancy,  or  trembling,  and  ask 
for  all  the  mercy  that  we  need. 
IT  That  we  may  obtain  mercy.  This 
is  what  we  want  first.  We  need 
pardon — as  the  first  thing  when  we 
come  to  God.  We  arc  guiltv  and 
10 


mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help 
in  time  of  need. 

a  Ep.  3.  12.  c.  10.  19—22. 

self-condemned  —  and    our   first   cry 
should  bo  for  mercy — mercy.     A  man 
who  comes   to  God  not  feeling   his 
need  of  mercy  must  fail  of  obtaining 
the  divine  favour;  and  he  will  be  best 
prepared   to  obtain  that  favour  who 
has  the  deepest  sense  of  his  need  of 
forgiveness.     IT  And  find  grace.    Fa- 
vour— strength,  help,  counsel,  dir(?c- 
tion,  support,  for  the   various  duties 
and  trials   of  life.     This  is  what  we 
next  need — we  all  need — we  always 
need.   Even  when  pardoned,  we  need 
grace  to  keep  us  from  sin,  to  aid  us 
in  duty,  to  preserve  us  in  the  day  of 
temptation.     And  feeling  our  need  of 
this,  we  may  come  and  ask  of  God 
all  that  we  want   for  this    purpose. 
Such  is  the  assurance  given  us ;  and 
to  this  bold  approach  to  the  throne  of 
grace  all  are  freely  invited.     In  view 
of  it,   let  us  (1.)  rejoice  that  there 
is  a  throne  of  grace.     What  a  world 
would  this  be  if  God  sat  on  a  throne 
o£ justice  only,  and  if  no  mercy  were 
ever  to  be  shown  to  men !     Who  is 
there  who  would  not  be  overwhelmed 
with  despair  ?     But  it  is  not  so.     He 
is  on  A  THRONE  OF  GRACE.     By  day 
and  by   night ;    from  year  to  year  ; 
from  generation  to  generation  ;  he  is 
on  such  a  throne.     In  every  land  he 
may  be  approached,  and  in  as  many 
different  languages    as    men    speak, 
may  they  plead   for  mercy.     In  all 
times  of  our  trial  and  temptation  we 
may  be  assured  that  he  is  seated  on 
that  throne,  and  wherever  we  are,  we 
may  approach  him  with  acceptance. 
(2.)  We  need  the  privilege  of  coming 
before  such  a  throne.     We  are  sinful 
—  and  need   mercy:    we  are   feeble, 
and  need  grace  to  help  us.     There  is 
not  a  day  of  our  lives  in  which  we 
do  not  need  pardon ;  not  an  hour  in 
which  we  do  not  need  grace.  (3.)  How 
obvious  are  the  propriety  and  necessity 
of  prayer  !     Every  man  is  a  sinner— 
and  should  pray   for  pardon ;    every 
man  is  weak,  feeble,  dependent,  and 
should  pray  for  grace.  Not  till  a  man 


no 


HKBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


can  prove  that  he  has  never  done  any 
sin,  slioiild  hu  maintain  tliat  lie  iias 
no  need  of  jjardon  ;  not  till  he  ean 
show  that  lie  is  able  alone  to  meet 
the  storms  and  temptations  of  life, 
should  he  feel  that  he  has  no  need  to 
ask  for  grraee.  Yet  who  can  feel  this? 
And  how  strang^e  it  is  that  all  men  do 
not  pray !  (4.)  It  is  easy  to  be  for- 
l^iven.  All  that  needs  to  be  done  is 
lO  plead  the  merits  of  our  Great  High 
Priest,  and  God  is  ready  to  pardon. 
Who  would  not  be  g'lad  to  be  able  to 
pay  a  debt  in  a  manner  so  easy  ?  Yet 
how  few  there  are  who  are  willing  to 
pay  the  debt  to  justice  thus  !  (5.)  It 
is  easy  to  obtain  all  the  grace  that  wc 
need.  We  have  only  to  ask  for  it — 
and  it  is  done.  How  easy  then  to 
meet  temptation  if  we  would  I  How 
(Strange  that  any  should  rely  on  their 
jwn  strength,  when  they  may  lean 
m  the  arm  of  God  I  (6.)  If  men  are 
lot  pardoned,  and  if  they  fall  into  sin 
and  ruin,  they  alone  are  to  blame. 
There  is  a  throne  of  grace.  It  is 
always  accessible.  There  is  a  God. 
He  is  always  ready  to  pardon.  There 
IS  A  Redeemer.  He  is  the  Great 
High  Priest  of  men.  He  is  always 
interceding.  His  merits  ma.j  always 
be  pleaded  as  the  ground  of  our  salva- 
tion. Why  then,  O  why,  should  any 
remain  unforgiven  and  perish  ?  On 
them  alone  the  blame  must  lie.  In 
tlieir  own  bosoms  is  the  reason  why 
they  are  not  saved. 

CHAPTER  V. 

ANALYSIS  OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

In  this  chapter  the  subject  of  the 
priestly  office  of  Christ  is  continued 
and  further  illustrated.  It  had  been 
introduced  ch.  ii.  17,  18;  ch.  iii.  1; 
eh.  iv.  14 — 17.  The  Jews  regarded 
the  office  of  high  ])riest  as  an  essen- 
tial feature  in  the  true  religion  ;  and 
it  became,  therefore,  of  the  highest 
importance  to  show  that  in  the  Chris- 
tian system  there  was  a  High  Priest 
every  way  equal  to  that  of  the  Jews. 
In  liis  rank;  in  his  character;  and 
in  the  sacrifice  which  he  offered,  he 
was  more  tlian  equal  to  the  Jewish 
high  priest,  and  they  who   bad  for- 


saken Judaism  and  embraced  Chris- 
tianity liad  lost  nothing  in  this  re- 
spect by  the  change,  and  had  gained 
much.  It  became  necessary,  there- 
fore, in  making  out  tliis  point,  to  in- 
stitute a  comparison  between  the 
Jewish  high  priest  and  the  Great  Au- 
thor of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
this  comparison  is  pursued  in  this 
and  the  following  chapters.  The 
comparison  in  this  chapter  turns 
mainly  on  the  qualijications  for  the 
office,  and  the  question  whether  the 
Lord  Jesus  had  those  qualifications. 
The  chapter  embraces  the  following 
points : — 

I.  The  qualifications  of  a  Jewish 
high  priest.  Vs.  1 — 4.  They  are  these. 
(I.)  He  must  have  been  ordained  or 
appointed  by  God  for  the  purpose  of 
offering  gifts  and  sacrifices  for  sins. 
Ver.  1.  (2.)  He  must  be  tender  and 
compassionate  in  his  feelings,  so  that 
he  can  sympathize  with  those  for 
whom  he  ministers.  Ver.  2.  (3.)  He 
must  have  an  offering  to  bring  to  God, 
and  be  able  to  preseat  a  sacrifice  alike 
for  himself  and  for  the  people.  Ver.  3, 
(4.)  He  could  not  take  this  honour 
on  himself,  but  must  have  evidence 
that  he  was  called  of  God,  as  was 
Aaron.  Ver.  4. 

II.  An  inquiry  whether  these  qua- 
lifications were  found  in  the  Lord 
Jesus,  the  great  High  Priest  of  the 
Christian  dispensation.  Vs.5 — 10.  In 
considering  this,  the  apostle  specifies 
the  following  qualifications  in  him, 
corresponding  to  those  which  he  had 
said  were  required  by  the  Jewish 
high  priest  (1.)  He  did  not  take  this 
honour  on  himself,  but  was  called  di- 
rectly by  God,  and  after  an  order  su- 
perior to  the  Aaronic  priesthood — the 
order  of  Melchiscdek.  Vs.  5,  6.  9,  10. 
(2.)  He  was  kind,  tender,  and  com- 
passionate, and  sliowed  that  he  was 
able  to  sympathize  with  those  for 
whom  he  liad  undertaken  the  office. 
Wlien  on  the  earth  he  had  evinced 
all  the  tenderness  which  could  be  de- 
sired in  one  who  had  come  to  pity 
and  save  mankind.  He  had  a  tender, 
sensitive,  human  nature.  He  felt 
deeply  as  a  man,  under  the  pressure 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  V. 


Ill 


CHAPTER  V. 

FOR  every  high  priest  taken 
from  among  men  is  ordain- 
ed* for  men  in  things  pertain- 

of  the  great  sufferings  which  he  en- 
dured, and  thus  showed  that  he  was 
abundantly  qualified  to  sympathize 
with  his  people.  Vs.  7,  8. 

III.  In  verse  10  the  apostle  had 
introduced,  incidentally,  a  topic  of 
great  difficulty ;  and  lie  adds  (vs.  11 
— 14),  that  he  had  rfluch  to  say  on 
that  subject,  but  that  those  whom  he 
addressed  were  not  qualified  then  to 
understand  it.  They  ought  to  have 
been  so  far  advanced  in  knowledge 
as  to  have  been  able  to  embrace  the 
more  abstruse  and  difficult  points 
connected  with  the  doctrines  of  Ciiris- 
tianity.  But  they  needed,  he  says, 
instruction  even  yet  in  the  more  sim- 
ple elements  of  religion,  and  he  feared 
that  what  he  had  to  say  of  Mclchise- 
dek  would  be  far  above  their  com- 
prehension. This  point,  therefore,  he 
drops  for  the  present,  and  in  eh.  vi. 
states  again,  and  at  grearter  length, 
the  danger  of  apostasy,  and  the  im- 
portance of  perseverance  in  endea- 
vouring to  comprehend  the  sublime 
mysteries  of  the  Christian  religion  ; 
and  then  (ch.  vii.)  he  resumes  the 
subject  of  the  comparison  between 
Christ  and  Melchizedeck. 

1.  For  every  high  priest.  That  is, 
among  the  Jews,  for  the  remarks  re- 
late to  the  Jewish  system.  The  Jews 
had  one  high  priest  who  was  regarded 
as  the  successor  of  Aaron.  The  word 
^high  priest'  means  chief  priest ;  that 
is,  a  priest  of  higher  rank  and  office 
than  others.  By  the  original  regula- 
tion the  Jewish  liigh  priest  was  to  be 
of  the  family  of  Aaron  (Ex.  xxix.  9), 
thougji  in  later  times  the  office  was 
frequently  conferred  on  others.  In 
the  time  of  the  Romans  it  had  become 
venal,  and  the  Mosaic  regulation  was 
disregarded.  II.  Mac.  iv.  7  ;  Jos.  Ant. 
XV.  3.  1.  It  was  no  longer  held  for 
life,  so  that  there  were  several  persons 
at  one  time  to  whom  was  given  the 
title  of  high  priest.     The  high  priest 


ing  to  God,  that  he  may  offer 
both  gifts  and  sacrifices  for 
sins : 

a  c.  8.  3. 

was  at  the  head  of  religious  affairs, 
and  was  the  ordinary  judge  of  all 
that  pertained  to  religion,  and  even 
of  the  general  justice  of  the  Hebrew 
commonwealth.  Deut.  xvii.  8 — 12  ; 
xix.  17  ;  xxi.  5  ;  xxiii.  9,  10.  He  only 
had  the  privilege  of  entering  the  most 
holy  place  once  a  year,  on  the  great 
driy  of  atonement,  to  make  expiation 
for  the  sins  of  the  people.  Lev.  xvi. 
He  was  to  be  the  son  of  one  who  had 
married  a  virgin,  and  was  to  be  free 
from  any  corporeal  defect.  Lev.  xxi. 
1 3.  The  dress  of  the  high  priest  was 
much  more  costly  and  magnificent 
than   that  of  the   inferior   order  of 


113 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


priests.  Ex.  xxxix.  1 — 9.  lie  wore  a 
mantle  or  robe — meil — ^'i*^ — of  blue, 

with  the  borders  cnibroidored  with 
pomegranates  in  purple  and  scarlet; 
anephod — m£)N — made  of  cotton,  with 
crimson,  purple,  and  blue,  and  orna- 
mented with  gold,  worn  over  the  robe 
or  mantle,  without  sleeves,  and  di- 
vided  below  the  arm-pits  into  two 
parts  or  halves,  of  whicli  one  was  in 
front  covering  the  breast,  and  the 
other  behind  covering  the  back.  In 
the  ephod  was  a  breastplate  of  curious 
workmanship,  and  on  the  head  a 
mitre.  The  breastplate  was  a  piece 
of  broidered  work  about  ten  inches 
square,  and  was  made  double,  so  as 
to   answer  the   purpose  of  a  pouch 


'  or  bag.     It  was  adorned  with  twelve 
precious  stones,  each  one  having  the 
name  of  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel. 
The  two  upper  corners  of  the  breast- 
plate were  fastened  to  the  ephod,  and 
the    two    lower  to  the   girdle.     The 
I  preceding  cut  is  supposed  to  give  an 
illustration  of  this  part  of  the  dress 
I  of  the  high  priest.     It  is  copied  from 
I  Taylor's     Fragments,    appended    to 
|Calmet.     As  there  is  frequent  refer- 
'  encc  to  the  high  priest  of  tlie.Tews  in 
this  epistle,  and  as  he  performed  so 
important  an    office  among  the  He- 
brews, it  may  be  useful   to   have   a 
view  of  the  appearance  of  this  officer 
in    frill    dress.      The    following   cuts 
will    illustrate    this.      The   first   re- 
presents him  with  the  robe  and  the 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  V. 


113 


ephod.  On  each  shoulder  is  seen  an 
onyx  stone,  upon  each  of  which  were 
engraved  the  names  of  six  of  the 
tribes  of  tlie  children  of  Israel.  The 
breastplate  is  also  seen  with  a  wrought 
•chain  of  gold  fastened  to  each  corner, 
and  passing  under  the  arms  and  over 
each  shoulder.  The  dress  is  described 
at  length  in  Ex.  xxviii.  The  second 
cut  exhibits  the  dress  of  the  high 
priest  on  the  day  of  expiation,  and  is 
very  plain  and  simple,  consisting  only 
of  plain  linen  with  a  sash  and  girdle. 
Lev.  xvi.  4.  23.  If  Taken  from  among 
men,  There  may  be  an  allusion  here 
to  the  Tdct  that  the  great  High  Priest 
of  the  Christian  dispensation  had  a 
higher  than  human  origin,  and  was 
selected  from  a  rank  far  above  men. 


Or  it  may  be  that  the  meaning  is, 
tliat  every  high  priest  on  earth — in- 
cluding all  under  the  old   dispensa- 
tion and  the  great  High  Priest  of  the 
new — is    ordained  with  reference  to 
the  welfare  of  men,  and  to  bring  some 
valuable   offering    for   man    to   God. 
It  Is  ordained  for  men.     Is  set  apart 
or  consecrated  for  the  welfare  of  men. 
j  The  Jewish  high  priest  was  set  apart 
to   his    office  with   great    solemnity. 
j  See  Ex.  xxix.    ^  In  things  pertaining 
'  to  God.    In  religious  matters,  or  with 
^  reference  to  the  worship  and  service 
of  God.     He  Was  not  to  be  a  civil 
ruler,  nor  a  teacher  of  science,  nor  a 
■  military  leader,  but  his  business  was 
to  superintend  the  alTairs  of  religion, 
I  IT  That  he  may  offer  both  gifts.    That 


]0» 


114 


HKBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


2  Who  can  '  have  compas- 
sion on  the  ignorant,  and  on 
them  that  are  out  of  the  way ; 

1  reasonably  bear  toitk. 

is,  tliank-offcrings,  or  oblations  which 
would  be  the  expressions  of  gratitude. 
Many  such  otferings  were  made  by 
the  Jews  under  the  laws  of  Moses, 
and  the  high  priest  was  the  medium 
by  whom  they  were  to  be  presented 
to  God.  ^  And  sacrifices  for  sins. 
Bloody  offerings ;  offerings  mqde  of 
slain  beasts.  The  blood  of  expiation 
was  sprinkled  by  him  on  the  mercy- 
seat,  and  he  was  the  appointed  me- 
dium by  which  such  sacrifices  were 
to  be  presented  to  God.  Notes  oh.  ix. 
C — 10.  We  may  remark  here  (1.) 
tliat  the  proper  office  of  a  priest  is  to 
present  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  (2.)  It  is 
improper  to  give  the  name  priest  to  a 
minister  of  tiie  gospel.  Tiie  reason 
is,  that  he  offers  no  sacrifice ;  he 
sprinkles  no  blood.  lie  is  appointed 
to  "  preach  the  word,"  and  to  lead  the 
devotions  of  the  church,  but  not  to 
offer  sacrifice.  Accordingly  the  New 
Testament  preserves  entire  consis- 
tency on  this  point,  for  the  name 
priest  is  never  once  given  to  the  apos- 
tles, or  to  any  other  minister  of  the 
gospel.  Among  the  Papists  there  is 
consistency — tiiough  gross  and  dan- 
gerous error — in  the  use  of  the  word 
priest.  They  believe  that  the  minis- 
ter of  religion  offers  up  '  the  real  bo(Jy 
and  blood  of  our  Lord ;'  that  the 
bread  and  wine  are  changed  by  the 
words  of  consecration  into  the  '  body 
and  blood,  the  soul  and  divinity,  of 
the  Lord  Jesus'  (Decrees  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Trent),  and  that  this  is  really 
offered  by  him  as  a  sacrifice.  Ac- 
cordingly they  '•elevate  the-  host;' 
that  is,  lift  up,  or  offer  the  sacri- 
fice, and  require  all  to  bow  before 
it  and  worship,  and  with  this  view 
they  are  consistent  in  retaining  the 
word  priest.  But  why  should  this 
name  be  applied  to  a  Protestant  mi- 
nister, who  believes  that  all  this  is 
blasphemy,  and  wlio  claims  to  have 
no  sacrifice  to  offer  when  he  comes  to 
minister  before  God  ?     The  great  sa- 


fer   that    he  "  himself  also    ia 
compassed  witli  infirmity. 
3  And  by  reason  hereof  he 

a  c.  7.  28. 


crifice  ;  the  one  suflicient  atonement, 
has  been  offered — and  the  ministers 
of  the  gospel  are  appointed  to  pro- 
claim that  truth  to  men,  not  to  offer 
sacrifices  for  sin. 

2.  Who  can  have  compassion.  Marg. 
Reasonably  bear  with.  The  idea  is 
that  of  sympathizing  with.  The  high 
priest  is  taken  from  among  men,  in 
order  that  he  may  have  a  fellow, 
feeling  for  those  on  whose  behalf  he 
olficiates.  Sensible  of  his  own  igno- 
rance, he  is  able  to  sympatliize  with 
those  who  are  ignorant ;  and  com- 
passed about  with  infirmity,  he  is 
able  to  succour  those  who  have  like 
infirmities.  ^  And  on  them  that  are 
out  of  the  way.  The  erring,  and  the 
guilty.  If  he  were  taken  from  an 
order  of  beings  superior  to  men,  he 
would  be  less  qualified  to  sympathize 
with  those  who  felt  that  they  were 
sinners,  and  who  needed  pardon. 
IT  For  that  he  himself  also  is  com- 
passed with  infirmity.  See  chap.  vii. 
28.  He  is  liable  to  err ;  he  is  subject 
to  temptation  ;  he  must  die,  and  ap- 
pear  before  God  ; — and  encompassed 
witli  these  infirmities,  he  is  better 
qualified  to  minister  in  behalf  of 
guilty  and  dying  men.  For  the  same 
reason  it  is,  that  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel  are  chosen  from  among  men. 
They  are  of  like  passions  with  others. 
They  are  sinners;  they  are  dying 
men.  They  can  enter  into  the  feelings 
of  those  who  are  conscious  of  guilt ; 
they  can  sympathize  with  tliose  who 
tremble  in  dread  of  death  ;  they  can 
])artake  of  the  emotions  of  tliose  who 
expect  soon  to  appear  before  (iod. 

3.  And  by  reason  hereof.  Because 
he  is  a  sinner  ;  an  imperfect  man. 
H  As  for  the  people,  so  also  for  him- 
self, to  offer  for  sins.  To  make  an 
expiation  for  sins.  He  needs  the 
same  atonement ;  lie  offers  the  sacri. 
fice  for  himself  which  he  docs  for 
others.  Lev.  ix.  7.  The  same  thing 
is  true  of  the"  ministers  of  religion 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  V. 


115 


ought,    as  for   the  people,  so" 

also  for  himsel .",  to  offer  for  sins. 

4  And ''  no  man  taketh  this 

honour    unto    himself,    but   he 

aLe.9.  7.  6  2  Ch.  26.  18. 

now.  They  come  before  God  feeling- 
that  they  have  need  of  the  benefit  of 
the  same  atonement  which  they 
preach  to  others ;  they  plead  the 
merits  of  the  same  blood  for  their 
own  salvation  which  they  show  to  be 
indispensable  for  the  salvation  of 
others. 

4.  And  no  man  taketh  this  honour 
to  himself.  No  one  has  a  right  to 
enter  on  this  office  unless  he  has  the 
qualifications  which  God  has  pre- 
scribed. There  were  fixed  and  defi- 
nite laws  in  regard  to  the  succession 
in  the  office  of  the  high  priest,  and  to 
the  qualifications  of  him  who  should 
hold  the  office,  f  But  he  that  is  called 
of  God  as  was  Aaron.  Aaron  was 
designated  by  name.  It  was  neces- 
sary that  his  successors  should  have 
as  clear  evidence  that  they  were 
called  of  God  to  the  office,  as  though 
they  had  been  mentioned  by  name. 
The  manner  in  which  the  high  priest 
was  to  succeed  to  the  office  was  de- 
signated in  the  law  of  Moses,  but  in 
the  time  of  Paul  these  rules  were  lit- 
tle regarded.  The  office  had  become 
venal,  and  was  conferred  at  pleasure 
by  the  Roman  rulers.  Still  it  was 
true  that  according  to  the  law,  to 
which  alone  Paul  here  refers,  no  one 
might  hold  this  office  but  lie  who  had 
the  qualifications  which  Moses  pre- 
scribed, and  which  showed  that  he 
was  called  of  God.  We  may  remark 
here,  (1.)  that  this  does  not  refer  so 
much  to  an  internal,  as  to  an  external 
call.  'He  was  to  have  the  qualifica- 
tions prescribed  in  the  law — but  it  is 
not  specified  that  he  should  be  con- 
scious of  an  internal  call  to  the  office, 
or  be  influenced  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
it.  Such  a  call  was,  doubtless,  in  the 
highest  degree  desirable,  but  it  was 
not  prescribed  as  an  essential  qualifi- 
cation. (2.)  This  has  no  reference  to 
the  call  to  the  work  of  the  Christian 


that  is  called  of  God,  as  was 
Aaron.' 

5  So  also  Christ  ^  glorified 
not  himself  to  be  made  an  high 

c  Ex.  28.  1.   Nu.  16.  40.  d  Jno  8.  54. 

ministry,  and  should  not  be  applied 
to  it.  It  should  not  be  urged  as  a 
proof- text  to  show  that  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  should  have  a '  call'  directly 
from  God,  or  that  he  should  be  called 
according  to  a  certain  order  of  suc- 
cession. The  object  of  Paul  is  not 
to  state  this  —  whatever  may  be  the 
truth  on  this  point.  His  object  is,  to 
show  that  the  Jewish  high  priest  was 
called  of  God  to  his  office  in  a  certain 
way,  showing  that  he  held  the  ap- 
pointment  from  God,  and  that  there- 
fore it  was  necessary  that  the  Great 
High  Priest  of  the  Christian  profes- 
sion should  be  called  in  a  similar 
manner.  To  this  alone  the  compari- 
son  should  be  understood  as  applica- 
ble. 

5.  So  also  Christ  glorified  not  him- 
self. See  Notes  John  viii.  54.  The 
meaning  is,  that  Jesus  was  not  ambi- 
tious ;  that  he  did  not  obtrude  him- 
self into  the  great  office  of  high 
priest;  he  did  not  enter  upon  its 
duties  without  being  regularly  called 
to  it.  Paul  claimed  that  Christ  held 
that  office;  but,  as  he  was  not  de- 
scended from  Aaron,  and  as  no  one 
might  perform  its  duties  without 
being  regularly  called  to  it,  it  was 
incmnbent  on  him  to  show  that  Je- 
sus was  not  an  intruder,  but  had 
a  regular  vocation  to  that  work. 
This  he  shows  by  a  reference  to 
two  passages  of  the  Old  Testament. 
IT  But  he  that  said  unto  him.  That  is, 
he  who  said  to  him  'Thou  art  my 
Son,'  exalted  him  to  that  office.  He 
received  his  appointment  from  him. 
This  was  decisive  in  the  case,  and 
this  was  sufficient,  if  it  could  be  made 
out,  for  the  only  claim  which  Aaron 
and  his  successors  could  have  to  the 
office,  was  the  fact  that  they  had  re- 
ceived  their  appointment  from  God. 
H  Thou  art  my  Son.  Ps.  ii.  7.  See 
this  passage  explained  in  the  Notes 


116 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


priest;  hut  he  that  said  unto 
him,  "  Thou  art  my  Son,  to-day 
have  I  hegoticn  thee. 

6  As  he  saith  also  in  another 

on  Acts  xiii.  33.  It  is  here  used  with 
reference  to  the  designation  to  the 
priestly  ofViec,  though  in  the  Fsalm 
more  particularly  to  the  anointing 
to  the  office  of  king.  The  propriety 
of  this  application  is  founded  on  the 
fact  that  the  language  in  the  Psalm 
is  of  so  general  a  character,  that  it 
may  be  applied  to  any  exaltation  of 
the  Redeemer,  or  to  any  honour  con- 
ferred on  him.  It  is  here  used  with 
strict  propriety,  for  Paul  is  saying 
that  Jesus  did  not  exalt  himself,  and 
in  proof  of  that  he  refers  to  the  fact 
that  God  had  exalted  him  by  calling 
him  liis  '  Son.' 

6.  As  he  saith  also  in  another  place. 
Ps.  ex.  4.     IT  Thou  art  a  priest  for 
ever.      It   is    eddcnt   here    that  the 
apostle  means  to  be    understood   as 
saying  that   the    Psalm   referred    to 
Christ,  and  this  is  one  of  the  instances 
of  quotation  from  the  Old  Testament 
respecting  which    there    can    be    no 
doubt.     Paul  makes  much  of  this  ar- 
gument in  a  subsequent  part  of  this 
epistle,  (ch.  vii.)  and  reasons  as  if  no 
one  would  deny  that  the  Psalm  had  a 
reference  to  tiie  Messiah.     It  is  clear 
from  this  that  the  Psalm  was  under- 
stood  by  the  Jews   at  that  time    to 
have    such    a  reference,  and  that  it 
was  so  universally  admitted  that  no 
one  would  call  it  in  question.     That 
the  Psalm  refers  to  the  Messiah  has 
been  the  opinion  of  nearly  all  Chris- 
tian commentators,  and  has  been  ad- 
mitted   by   the    Jewish    Rabbins    in 
general    also.     The   evidence  that  it 
refers  to  the  Messiah  is  such  as  the 
following.     (1.)  It  is  a  Psalm  of  Da- 
vid, and  yet  is   spoken  of  one  who 
was   superior  to   him,  and  whom  he 
calls  his  "  Lord."  Ver.  I.  (2.)  It  can- 
not be  referred  to  Jkhovah  himself, 
for  he  is    expressly  (ver.  1.)    distin- 
giiished  from    him  who  is    here  ad- 
dressed.   (3.)  It  caimot  be  referred  to 
any  one   in   the   time  of  David,  for 


place,  Thou  *  art  a  priest  for 
ever  after  the  order  of  Melchi- 
sedek. 

a  rs.  2.  7.  b  Ps.  no.  4. 

there  was  no  one  to  whom  he  would 
attribute  this  character  of  superiority 
but  God.     (4.)  For  the  same  reason 
there  was  no  one  among  his  posterity, 
except   the    Messiah,   to   whom    he 
would  apply  this  language.     (5.)  It  is 
expressly  ascribed  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
to  himself     Matt.  xxii.  43,  44.     (6.) 
The  scope  of  the  Psalm  is  such  as  to 
be   applicable    to   the    Messiah,    and 
there  is  no  part  of  it  which  would  be 
inconsistent  with    such  a   reference. 
Indeed,   there   is  no  passage   of  the 
Old  Testament  of  which  it  would  be 
more  universally  conceded  that  there 
was  a  reference  to  the  Messiah,  than 
this  Psalm.    ^  Tliou  art  a  priest.    He 
is  not  here  called  a  hifrh  priest,  for 
Melchisedek  did  not  bear  that  title, 
nor  w^as  the  Lord  Jesus  to  be  a  high 
priest  exactly  in  the  sense  in  which 
the   name  was   given  to  Aaron  and 
his  successors.  A  word  is  used,  there- 
fore, in  a  general  sense  to  denote  that 
he  would  be  a  priest  simply,  or  would 
sustain  the  priestly  office.     This  was 
all  that  was  needful  to  the   present 
argument  which    was,   that  he  was 
designated   hy  God   to    the    priestly 
office,  and  that  he  had  not  intruded 
himself  into  it.     1i   For  ever.     This 
was   an  important   circumstance   of 
which  the   apostle  makes  much  use 
in  another  part  of  the   epistle.     See 
Notes  ch.  vii.  8.  23,  24.     The  priest- 
hood of  the  Messiah  was  not  to  change 
from  hand  to  hand ;  it  was  not  to  be 
laid  down  at  death  ;  it  was  to  remain 
unchangeably  the  same.     ^  After  the 
order.     The  word   rendered  order — 
Ta^^is — means  'a  setting  in    order' — 
hence  arrangement  or  disposition.  It 
may  be  applied  to  ranks  of  soldiers ; 
to  the  gradations  of  office ;  or  to  any 
rank  wliich  men  sustain  in  society. 
To  say  that  he  was  of  the  same  order 
with  !\Iclchisedek,  was  to  say  that  he 
was  of  the  same  rank  or  station.     He 
was  like  him  in  his  designation  to  the 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  V. 


117 


7  Who  in   the  days   of   his 
flesh,  when  he  had  offered  up 

office.  In  what  respects  he  was  like 
hhn  the  apostle  shows  more  fully  in 
ch.  vii.  One  particular  in  which  there 
was  a  striking  resemblance,  whicli 
did  not  exist  between  Christ  and  any 
other  high  priest,  was,  that  Melchise- 
dek  was  both  a  priest  and  a  king. 
None  of  the  kings  of  the  Jews  were 
priests ;  nor  were  any  of  the  priests 
ever  elevated  to  the  office  of  king. 
But  in  Melchisedek  these  offices  were 
united,  and  this  fact  constituted  a 
striking  resemblance  between  him 
and  the  Lord  Jesus.  It  was  on  this 
principle  that  there  was  such  perti- 
nency in  quoting  here  the  passage 
from  the  second  Psalm.  See  ver.  5. 
The  meaning  is,  that  Melchisedek 
was  of  a  peculiar  rank  or  order ;  that 
he  was  not  numbered  with  the  Levi- 
tical  priests,  and  that  there  were  im- 
portant features  in  his  office  which 
differed  from  theirs.  In  tliose  features 
it  was  distinctly  predicted  that  the 
Messiah  would  resemble  him.  If  Mel- 
chisedek.  See  Notes  on  ch.  vii.  1,  seq. 
7.  Who.  That  is,  the  Lord  Jesus — 
for  so  the  connexion  demands.  The 
object  of  this  verse  and  the  two  fol- 
lowing is,  to  show  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
had  that  qualification  for  the  office  of 
priest  to  which  he  had  referred  in  ver. 
2.  It  was  one  important  qualifica- 
tion for  that  office  that  he  who  sus- 
tained it  should  be  able  to  show  com- 
passion, to  aid  tliose  that  were  out  of 
the  way,  and  to  sympathize  with  suf- 
'ferers ;  in  other  words,  they  were 
themselves  encompassed  with  infirm- 
ity, and  thus  were  able  to  succour 
those  who  were  subjected  to  trials. 
The  apostle  shows  now  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  had  those  qualifications,  as  far 
as  it  was  possible  for  one  to  have 
them  who  had  no  sin.  In  the  days 
of  his  flesh  he  suffered  intensely  ;  he 
prayed  with  fervour  ;  he  placed  liini- 
Belf  in  a  situation  where  he  learned 
subjection  and  obedience  by  his  trials ; 
and  in  all  this -he  went  far  beyond 
what  had  been  evinced  by  the  priests 


prayers  "  and  supplications,  with 

a  Mat.  26.  39-44. 

under  the  ancient  dispensation.  IT  ]n 
the  days  of  his  flesh.  When  he  ap- 
peared on  earth  as  a  man.  Flesh  is 
used  to  denote  human  nature,  and 
especially  human  nature  as  suscepti. 
ble  of  suffering.  The  Son  of  God 
still  is  united  to  human  nature,  but  it 
is  human  nature  glorified,  for  in  his 
case,  as  in  all  others,  "  flesh  and  blood 
cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God." 
I.  Cor.  XV.  50.  He  has  now  a  glori 
fied  body  (Phil.  iii.  21),  such  as  the 
redeemed  will  have  in  the  future 
world.  Comp.  Rev.  i.  13—17.  The 
phrase  '  days  of  his  flesh,'  means  the 
time  when  he  was  incarnate,  or  when 
he  lived  on  earth  in  human  form. 
The  particular  time  here  referred  to, 
evidently,  vs'as  the  agony  in  the  gar- 
den of  Gethsemane.  ^  Prayers  and 
supplications.  These  words  are  often 
used  to  denote  the  same  thing.  If 
there  is  a  difference,  the  former — 
ict'iaui — means  petitions  which  arise 
from  a  sense  of  need — from  iioixai — 
to  want,  to  need ;  the  latter  refers 
usually  to  supplication /or  protection, 
and  is  applicable  to  one  who  under  a 
sense  of  guilt  flees  to  an  altar  with 
the  symbols  of  supplication  in  his 
hand.  Suppliants  in  such  cases  often 
carried  an  olive-branch  as  an  emblem 
of  the  peace  which  they  sought.  A 
fact  is  mentioned  by  Livy  respecting 
the  Locrians  that  may  illustrate  this 
passage.  "  Ten  delegates  from  the 
Locrians,  squalid  and  covered  with 
rags,  came  into  the  hall  where  the 
consuls  were  sitting,  extending  the 
badges  of  suppliants — olive-branchea 
—  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
Greeks ;  and  prostrated  themselves 
on  the  ground  before  the  tribunal, 
with  a  lamentable  cry."  Lib.  xxix.  c.  1 6. 
The  particular  idea  in  the  word  here 
used — iKcrripia — is  petition  for  protec- 
tion, help,  or  shelter  (Passow),  and 
this  idea  accords  well  with  the  design 
of  the  passage.  The  Lord  Jesus 
prayed  as  one  who  had  need,  and  as 
one  who  desired  protection,  shelter,  or 


118 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


strong  crying  and   tears,  unto 
him  that  was  able  "  to  save  him 


a  Matt.  26.  53. 


help.  The  words  here,  therefore,  do 
not  mean  the  same  thing-,  and  are  not 
merely  intensive,  but  they  refer  to 
distinct  purposes  which  the  Redeemer 
had  in  his  prayers.  He  was  about 
to  die,  and  as  a  man  he  needed  the 
divine  help;  he  was,  probably,  tempted 
in  that  dark  hour  (Note  John  xii.  30), 
and  he  fled  to  God  for  protection. 
^  With  strong  crying.  This  word 
docs  not  mean  weeping,  as  the  word 
'  crying'  does  familiarly  with  us.  It 
rather  means  an  outcry,  the  voice  of 
wailing  and  lamentation.  It  is  the 
cry  for  help  of  one  who  is  deeply  dis- 
tressed, or  in  danger ;  and  refers  here 
to  the  earnest  petition  of  the  Saviour 
when  in  the  agony  of  Gethsemane, 
or  when  on  the  cross.  It  is  the  in- 
tensity of  the  voice  which  is  referred 
to  when  it  is  raised  by  an  agony  of 
suffering.  Comp.  Luke  xxii.  44.  "  He 
prayed  more  earnestly."  Matt,  xxvii. 
46.  "  And  about  the  ninth  hour  Je- 
sus cried  with  a  loud  voice — My  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  mc  ?" 
See  also  Matt.  xxvi.  38, 39  ;  xxvii.  50. 
If  And  tears.  Jesus  wept  at  the  grave 
of  Lazarus  (John  xi.  35),  and  over 
Jerusalem.  Luke  xix.  41.  It  is  not 
expressly  stated  by  the  Evangelists 
that  he  wept  in  the  garden  of  Geth- 
semane, but  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  that  he  did.  In  such  an  in- 
tense agony  as  to  cause  a  bloody 
sweat,  tiicre  is  every  probability  tliat 
it  would  be  accompanied  with  tears. 
We  may  remark  then,  (1.)  that  there 
is  nothing  dishonourable  in  tears, 
and  that  man  should  not  be  ashamed 
on  proper  occasions  to  weep.  The 
■fact  that  the  Son  of  God  wypt  is  a 
full  demonstration  that  it  is  not 
disgraceful  to  weep.  God  has  so 
made  us  as  to  express  sympathy 
for  others  by  tears.  Religion  docs 
not  make  the  heart  insensible  and 
hard  as  stoical  philosophy  docs;  it 
makes  it  tender  and  susceptible  to 
impression.     (2.)  It  is  not  improper 


from  death,  and  was  heard '  in 
that  he  feared : 

I  for  his  piety. 

to  weep.  The  Son  of  God  wept — and 
if  he  poured  forth  tears  it  cannot  bo 
wrong  for  us.  Besides,  it  is  a  great 
law  of  our  nature  that  in  suffering  we 
should  find  relief  by  tears.  God  would 
not  have  so  made  us  if  it  had  been 
wrong.  (3.)  Tlie  fact  that  the  Son 
of  God  thus  wept  should  be  allowed 
deeply  to  affect  our  hearts. 

"  lie  wept  that  we  might  weep; 
Each  sill  Uuiuands  a  tear." 

He  wept  that  he  might  redeem  us ; 
we  should  weep  that  our  sins  were  so 
great  as  to  demand  such  bitter  woes 
for  our  salvation.  That  we  had  sin- 
ned ;  that  our  sins  caused  him  such 
anguish ;  that  he  endured  for  us  this 
bitter  conflict,  should  make  us  weep. 
Tear  should  answer  to  tear,  and  sigh 
respond  to  sigh,  and  groan  to  groan, 
when  we  contemplate  the  sorrows  of 
the  Son  of  God  in  accomplishing  our 
redemption.  That  man  must  have  a 
hard  heart  who  has  never  had  an 
emotion  when  he  has  reflected  that 
the  Son  of  God  wept,  and  bled,  and 
died  for  him.  H  Unto  him  that  was 
able.  To  God.  He  alone  was  able 
then  to  save.  In  such  a  conflict  man 
Could  not  aid,  and  the  help  of  angels, 
ready  as  they  were  to  assist  him, 
could  not  sustain  him.  We  may  de- 
rive aid  from  man  in  trial ;  we  may 
be  comforted  by  sympathy  and  coun- 
sel ;  but  there  are  sorrows  where  God 
only  can  uphold  the  sufferer.  Tliat ' 
God  was  able  to  uphold  hira  in  his 
severe  conflict,  the  Redeemer  could 
not  doubt;  nor  need  we  doubt  it  in 
reference  to  ourselves  when  deep  sor- 
rows come  over  our  souls,  t  To  save 
him  from  death.  It  would  seem  from 
this,  that  what  constituted  the  agony 
I  of  the  Redeemer  was  the  dread  of 
.  deatli,  and  that  he  prayed  tliat  he 
I  might  be  saved  from  tliat.  This  might 
be,  so  far  as  the  language  is  concern- 
!  cd,  either  the  dread  of  death  on  the 
I  spot  by  the  intensity  of  his  suft'crings 


A.  D..64.] 


CHAPTER  V. 


ll'J 


and  by  the  power  of  the  Tempter,  or 
it  mig-ht  be  the  dread  of  the  approach- 
ing' death  on  the  cross.     As  the  Re- 
deenler,  liowever,  knew  that  he  was 
to  die   on  the    cross,  it   can   hardly 
be    supposed    that    he    apprehended 
death  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane. 
What  he  prayed  for  was,  that,  if  it 
were   possible   he   might   be    spared 
from  a  death  so  painful  as  he  appre- 
hended. Matt.  xxvi.  39.   Feeling  that 
God  had  power  to  save  him  from  that 
mode  of  dying,  the  burden  of  his  pe- 
tition was,  that,  if  human  redemption 
could  be  accomplished  without  such 
sufferings,  it  might  please  his  Father 
to  remove  that  cup  from  him.  IT  And 
was  heard.     In  John  xi.  42,  the  Sa- 
viour says,  "  I  know  that  thou  hearest 
me  always."     In  the  garden  of  Geth- 
semane, he  was  heard.     His  prayer 
was  not  disregarded,  though  it  was 
not  literally  answered.     The  ciip  of 
death  was  not  taken  away ;  but  his 
prayer  was  not  disregarded.     What 
answer  was  given ;   what  assurance 
or  support  was  imparted  to  his  soul, 
we    are    not   informed.       The    case, 
however,  shows  us,  (1.)  That  prayer 
may  be  heard  even  when  the  suffer- 
ings   which    are    dreaded,  and  from 
which   we    prayed    to   be    delivered, 
may  come  upon  us.    They  may  come 
with  such  assurances  of  divine  favour, 
and    such   supports,   as  will  be    full 
proof  that  the  prayer  was   not  dis- 
regarded.    (2.)  That   prayer  offered 
in  faith  may  not  be  always  literally 
answered.     No  one   can   doubt  that 
Jesus  offered  the  prayer  of  faith  ;  and 
it  is  as  little  to  be  doubted,  if  he  re- 
ferred in  the  prayer  to  the  death  on 
the  cross,  that  it  was  not  literally  an- 
swered.    Comp.  Matt.  xxvi.  39.     In 
like  manner,  it  may  occur  now,  that 
prayer  shall  be    offered   with  every 
right  feeling,  and  with  an  earnest  de- 
sire for  the  object,  which  may  not  be 
literally  answered.     Christians,  even 
in  the  highest  exercise  of  faith,  are 
not  inspired  to  know  what  is  best  for 
them,  and  as  long  as  this  is  the  case, 
it  is  possible  that  they  may  ask  for 
things  which  it  would  not  be  best  to 
have  granted.     They  who  maintain 


that   the   prayer  of  faith  is    always 
literally  answered,  must  hold  that  the 
Christian  is  mider  such  a  guidance 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  that  he  cannot 
ask  anything  amiss.     See  Notes  on 
II.  Cor.  xii.  9.     '^  In  tJiat  he  feared. 
Marg.      For   his  jiiety.      Coverdale, 
"  Because  he  had   God   in  honour." 
Tindal,  "  Because  he  had  God  in  re- 
verence."     Prof    Stuart  renders    it, 
"And  was  delivered  from  tliat  which 
he  feared."  So  also  Doddridge.  Whit- 
by, "  Was  delivered  from  his  fear." 
Luther  renders  it,  '  And  was  heard 
for  that  he  had  God  in  reverence' — 
dass  er  Gott  in  Ehren  hatte.     Beza 
renders  it,  "  His  prayers  being  heard, 
he  was  delivered  from  fear."     From 
this  variety  in  translating  the  passage, 
it  will  be  seen  at  once  that  it  is  at- 
tended with  difficulty.    The  Greek  is 
literally   'from   fear  or  reverence' — 
OTTO  Trji  tv'Xalidai.    The  word  occurs  in 
the  New  Testament  only  in  one  other 
place,  (Heb.  xii.  28),  where  it  is  ren- 
dered   '■'■fear."      'Let   us    serve  him 
with  reverence  and  godly  fear.''    The 
word  properly  means  caution,  circum- 
spection ;    then  timidity,   fear ;   then 
the    fear   of  God,    reverence,    piety. 
Where  the  most  distinguished  scho- 
lars have  differed  as  to  the  meaning 
of  a  Greek  phrase,  it  would  be  pre- 
sumption in  me  to  attempt  to  deter- 
mine  its   sense.     The  most  natural 
and  obvious  interpretation,  however, 
as  it   seems  to  me,  is,  that  it  means 
that  he  was  heard  on  account  of  his 
reverence  for  God  ;  his  profound  ve- 
neration ;  his  submission.    Such  was 
his  piety  that  the  prayer  was  heard, 
though  it  was  not  literally  answered. 
A  prayer  may  be  heard  and  yet  not 
literally  answered;  it  may  be  accept- 
able to  God,  though  it  may  not  consist 
with  his  arrangements  to  bestow  the 
very  blessing  that    is    sought.     The 
posture  of  the  mind  of  the  Redeemer 
perhaps  was  something  like  tliis.   He 
knew   that  he   was  about  to  be  put 
to    death   in    a    most   cruel  manner. 
His  tender  and  sensitive  nature  as  a 
man  shrank  from  such  a  death.    As  a 
man  he  went  under  the  pressure  of 
his  great  sorrows  and  pleaded  that  tha 


120 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


8  Though  he  were  a  Son, 
yet  learned  he  obedience"  by 
the  things  which  he  suflered  : 

9  And  *  being  made  perfect, 
he  became  the  author  of  eternal 


a  Ph.  2.  8. 


b  c.  2.  10. 


cup  might  be  removed,  and  that  man 
might  be  redeemed  by  a  loss  fearful 
scene  of  suffering.  That  arrangement, 
however,  could   not  be    made.     Yet 
the  spirit  which  lie  evinced ;  the  de- 
sire to  do  the  will  of  God ;  tlic  resig. 
nation,  and  the  confidence  in  his  Fa- 
ther which  he  evinced,  were  such  as 
were  acceptable  in  his  siglit.     They 
showed   that  he  had  unconquerable 
virtue  ;  tliat  no  power  of  temptation, 
and  no  prospect  of  the  intensest  woes 
which  human  nature  could  endure, 
could  alienate  him  from  piety.     To 
Bhow   this  was   an  object  of  inesti- 
mable value,  and  much  as  it  cost  the 
Saviour  was   worth  it  all.     So   now 
it    is    worth    much    to    see    Chris- 
tian piety  can  endure  ;  what  strong 
temptations  it  can  resist;  and  what 
strength  it  has  to  bear  up  under  ac- 
cumulated woes ; — and  even  though 
the  prayer  of  the  pious  sufterrr  is  not 
directly  answered,  yet  that  prayer  is 
acceptable  to  God,  and  the  result  of 
such  a  trial  is  worth  all  that  it  costs. 
8.    Though  he  were  a  Son.  Though 
the  son  of  God.     Though  he  sustain- 
ed this  exalted   rank,  and  was  con- 
scious of  it,   yet  he  was  willing  to 
learn  experimentally  what  is  meant 
by  obedience  in  the  midst  of  sulfcr- 
ings.     ^    Yet   learned   he   obedience. 
That  is,  he   learned    experimentally 
ajid    practically.     It   cannot  be  sup- 
posed that  he  did  not  know  what  obe- 
dience was  ;  or  that  he  was  indisposed 
to  obey  God  before  he   sulTcred ;  or 
that  he  had,  as  we  have,  perversities 
of  nature  leading  to  rebellion  which 
required  to  be  subdued  by  suffering, 
but  tliat  he  was  willing  to  test  tlie 
power  of  obedience  in  sufferings  ;  to 
become    personally    and    practically 
acquainted  witli.  tlie  nature  of  such 
obedience  in  the  midst  of  protracted 
woes.     Como.  Note   on   Phil.  ii.  8. 


salvation  unto  all  them  that  obey 
him  ; 

10  Called  of  God  an  high 
priest'  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedek. 

e  ver.  6. 

Tlic  object  here  is,  to  show  how  well 
fitted  the  Lord  Jesus  was  to  be  a  Sa- 
viour for  mankind  ;  and  the  argument 
is,  that  he  has  set  us  an  example,  and 
has  shown  that  the  most  perfect  obe- 
dience may  be  manifested  in  the 
deepest  sorrows  of  the  body  and  the 
soul.  Learn  hence,  that  one  of  the 
objects  of  affliction  is  to  lead  us  to 
obey  God.  In  prosperity  we  forget  it. 
We  become  self-confident  and  rebel- 
lious. Then  God  lays  his  hand  upon 
us  ;  breaks  up  our  plans ;  crushes  our 
hopes  ;  takes  away  our  health,  and 
teaches  us  that  we  must  be  submissive 
to  his  will.  Some  of  the  most  valu- 
able lessons  of  obedience  are  learned 
in  the  furnace  of  affliction ;  and  many 
of  the  most  submissive  children  of 
the  Almighty  have  been  made  so  as 
the  result  of  protracted  woes. 

9.  And  being  made  perfect.  That 
is,  being  made  a  complete  Saviour — a 
Saviour  fitted  in  all  respects  to  redeem 
men.  Sufferings  were  necessary  to 
the  completeness  or  the  Jinish  bf  his 
character  as  a  Saviour,  not  to  his 
moral  perfection,  for  he  was  always 
without  sin.  See  this  explained  in 
the  Notes  on  ch  ii.  10.  IT  He  became 
the  author.  That  is,  he  was  the  pro- 
curing cause  (aiTtos)  of  salvation.  It 
is  to  be  traced  wholly  to  his  sufferings 
and  death.  Sec  Note  eh.  ii.  10.  IT  Unto 
all  them  that  obey  him.  It  is  not  to 
save  those  who  live  in  sin.  Only 
those  who  obey  him  have  any  evi- 
dence that  they  will  be  saved.  See 
Note  Joiin  xiv.  15. 

10.  Called  of  God.  Addressed  by 
him,  or  greeted  by  him.  The  word 
here  used  does  not  mean  tiiat  he  was 
appointed  by  God,  or  '■called^  to  the 
olHce,  in  the  sense  in  which  we  often 
use  the  word,  but  simply  that  he  was 
addressed  as  such,  to  wit,  in  Psalm 
ex.    IT  An  high  priest.  In  the  Scptua- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  V 


131 


11  Of  whom  we  have  man} 
things  to  say,  and  hard  to  be 
uttered,  seeing  ye  are  dull  of 
hearing. 

gint  (Ps.  ex.  4),  and  in  ver.  6,  above, 
it  is  rendered  priest — hpcv; — but  the 
Hebrew  word — \f\2 — kohen — is  often 
used  to  denote  the  high  priest,  and 
may  mean  eitlier.  See  Sept.  in  Lev. 
iv.  3.  Whether  the  word  priest,  or 
high  priest,  be  used  here,  does  not 
affect  the  argument  of  the  apostle. 
^  After  the  order  of  Melchisedek. 
Notes  ver.  6. 

11.  Of  whom  we  have  many  things 
to  say.  There  are  many  things  which 
seem  strange  in  regard  to  him  ;  many 
things  which  are  hard  to  be  understood. 
Paul  knew  that  what  he  liad  to  say 
of  this  man  as  a  type  of  the  Redeemer 
would  excite  wonder,  and  that  many 
might  be  disposed  to  call  it  in  ques- 
tion. He  knew  that  in  order  to  be 
understood,  what  he  was  about  to 
say  required  a  familiar  acquaintance 
with  the  Scriptures,  and  a  strong  and 
elevated  faith.  A  young  convert ; 
one  who  had  just  commenced  the 
Christian  life,  could  hardly  expect  to 
be  able  to  understand  it.  The  same 
thing  is  true  now.  One  of  the  first 
questions  which  a  young  convert  often 
asks,  is.  Who  was  Melchisedek  ?  And 
one  of  the  things  which  most  uni- 
formly perplex  those  who  begin  to 
study  the  Bible,  is,  the  statement 
which  is  made  about  this  remarkable 
man.  ^  Hard  to  be  uttered.  Rather, 
hard  to  be  interpreted,  or  explained. 
So  the  Greek  word  means.  IT  Seeing 
ye  are  dull  of  hearing.  That  is,  when 
they  ought  to  have  been  acquainted 
with  the  higher  truths  of  religion, 
they  had  shown  that  they  received 
them  slowly,  and  were  dull  of  appre- 
hension. On  what  particular  fact 
Paul  grounded  this  charge  respecting 
them  is  unknown ;  nor  could  we 
know,  unless  we  were  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  persons  to  whom 
he  wrote,  and  their  circumstances, 
tlinn  we  now  are.  But  he  had  doobt- 
11 


12  For-vvhen  for  the  time  ye 
ought  to  be  teachers,  ye  have 
need  that  one  teach  you  agairi 
which  be  the  first  principles  of 

less  in  his  eye  some  fact  which 
showed  that  they  were  slow  to  under- 
stand the  great  principles  of  the  goa. 
pel. 

12.  For  when  for  the  time.    Consi- 
dering  the    time  which  has  elapsed 
since  you  were  converted.     You  have 
been  Christians    long   enough  to  be 
expected  to  understand  such  doctrines. 
This  verse  proves  that  those  to  whom 
he  wrote  were    not  recent  converts. 
If  Ye  ought  la  be  teachers.  You  ought 
to  be  able  to  instruct  others.    He  doea 
not  mean  to  say,  evidently,  that  they 
ought  all  to  become  pubhc  teachers, 
or  preachers  of  the  gospel,  but  that 
they  ought  to  be  able  to  explain  to 
others  the  truths  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion.    As  parents  they  ought  to  be 
able  to  explani  them  to  their  children ; 
as  neighbours,  to  their  neighbours ;  or 
as  friends,  to  those  who  were  inquir 
ing  the  way  to  life.     ^  Ye  have  need. 
That  is,  probably,  the  mass  of  them 
had  need.     As  a  people,  or  a  church, 
they  had  shown  that  they  were  igno- 
rant  of  some  of  the  very  elements  of 
the  gospel.  If  Again.  This  shows  that 
they  had  been  taught  on  some  former 
occasion  what  were  the  first  princi- 
ples of  religion,    but  they  had   not 
followed  up  the  teaching  as  they  ought 
to  have  done.     If  The  first  principles. 
The  very  elements;  the  rudiments; 
the  first  lessons  —  such  as    children 
learn  before  they  advance  to  higher 
studies.     See  the  word  here  used  ex- 
plained in  the   Notes  on  Gal.  iv.  3 
under   the    word    "  elements  "      Tl^ 
Greek  word  is  the  same.     IT  Of  th<s 
oracles  of  God.     Of  the  Scriptures,  or 
what  God  has  spoken.     See  Notes  on 
Rom.  iii.  2.     The   phrase  here  mav 
refer  to  the  writings  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tanient,    and    particularly    to    those 
parts  which  relate  to  the  Messiah  ;  or 
it  may  include  all  that  God  had  a1 
that  time  revealed  in  whatever  way 
it  was  preserved.    In  1.  Pet  iv.  11,  il 


123 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


the  oracles  of  God  ;  and  are  be- 
come   such    as    have    need    of 
milk,"  and  not  of  strong  meat. 
13  For  every  one  that  useth 

a  1  Co.  3.  1-3. 

is  used  with  reference  to  the  Christian 
reli<^ion,  and  to  the  doctrines  whicli 
God  liad  revealed  in  the  gospel.  In 
the  pa.swage  before  us,  it  may  mean 
the  dicine  oracles  or  coinmunicalions, 
in  whatever  way  they  had  been  made 
known.  They  had  shown  that  they 
wore  ignorant  of  the  very  rudiments 
of  the  divine  teaching.  If  And  are 
become  such.  There  is  more  meant 
in  this  phrase  than  that  they  simply 
were  such  persons.  The  word  ren- 
dered 'are  become'  —  yiVuftut -7- some- 
times implies  a  change  of  state,  or  a 
passing  from  one  state  to  another — 
well  expressed  by  the  phrase  '  are  be- 
come.' See  Matt.  v.  45 ;  iv.  3 ;  xiii, 
32  ;  vi.  ]  G  ;  x.  25  ;  Mark  i.  17  ;  Rom. 
vii.  3,  4.  The  idea  here  is,  that  they 
had  passed  from  the  hopeful  condition 
in  which  they  were  when  they  show- 
ed  that  they  had  an  acquaintance 
with  the  great  principles  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  that  they  had  become  such  as 
to  need  again  the  most  simple  form 
of  instruction.  This  agrees  well  with 
the  general  strain  of  the  epistle,  which 
is  to  preserve  them  from  the  danger 
of  apostasy.  They  were  verging  to- 
wards it,  and  had  come  to  that  state 
where  if  they  were  recovered  it  must 
be  by  being  again  taught  the  elements 
of  religion.  ^  Have  need  of  milk.  Like 
little  ciiildren.  You  can  bear  only 
the  most  simple  nourishment.  The 
meaning  is,  that  they  w«re  incapable 
of  receiving  the  higher  doctrines  of 
the  gospel  as  much  as  little  children 
are  incapable  of  digesting  solid  food. 
They  were  in  fact  in  a  state  of  spirit- 
ual infancy.  IT  And  not  of  strong  meat. 
Greek.  '  Strong  food.'  The  word  meat 
with  us  is  used  now  to  denote  only 
animal  food.  Formerly  it  meant  food 
in  general.  The  Greek  word  here 
means  nourishment. 

]  3.  For  every  one  that  useth  milk. 
Refcrrmg  to   the   food   of  children. 


milk '  is  unskilful  in  the  word 
of  righteousness :  for  he  is  a 
babe. 

14  But  strong  meat  belong- 

i  hath  no  eiperience. 


The  apostle  has  in  view  here  those 
Christians  who  resemble  children  in 
this  respect,  that  tliey  are  not  capable 
of  receiving  the  stronger  food  adapted 
to  those  of  mature  age.  H  Is  unskil- 
ful. Inexperienced ;  who  has  not 
skill  to  perform  anything.  The  word 
is  properly  applied  to  one  who  has 
not  experience  or  skill,  or  who  is  ig- 
norant. Here  it  does  not  mean  tliat 
they  were  not  true  Christians — but 
that  they  had  not  the  experience  or 
skill  requisite  to  enable  them  to  un- 
derstand the  higher  mysteries  of  the 
Christian  religion.  ^  In  the  word  of 
righteousness.  The  doctrine  respect- 
ing  the  way  in  which  men  become 
righteous,  or  the  way  of  salvation  by 
the  Redeemer.  See  Notes  on  Rom.  i 
17.  IT  For  he  is  a  babe.  That  is,  in 
religious  matters.  He  iinderstanda 
the  great  system  only  as  a  child  may. 
It  is  common  to  speak  of  '  babes  in 
knowledge,'  as  denoting  a  state  of  ig- 
norance. 

14.  Strong  meat.  Solid  food  per. 
tains  to  those  of  maturer  years.  So  it 
is  with  the  higher  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity.  Tliey  can  be  understood  and 
appreciated  only  by  tliose  who  are 
advanced  in  Christian  experience. 
IT  Of  full  age.  Marg.  Perfect.  The 
expression  refers  to  those  who  arc 
grown  up.  IT  Who  by  reason  of  use. 
Marg.  Or,  an  habit,  or,  perfection. 
Coverdale  and  Tindal  render  it, 
'  through  custom.'  Tiie  Greek  word 
means  habit,  practice.  The  meaning 
tliat  by  long  use  and  habit  they 
arrived   to  that  state  in  which 


nad 


they  could  appreciate  the  more  cle- 

;  vated  doctrines  of  Christianity.     The 

reference  in  the  use  of  this  word  ia 

j  not  to  those  who  cat  food — meaning 

that  by  lono  ujt  iliey  arc  able  to  dis- 

tinguish  gi>i  from  bad  -but  it  is  to 

experiem-iA  Ch-isv'irus,  who  by  long 

|ex|)erieu<^    ro    iW   t-*   di>ting'U)h 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  V. 


13» 


eth  to  them  that  are '  of  full 
age,  even  those  who  by  reason 
of  ^  use  have  their  senses  exer- 

that  which  is  useful  in  pretended  re- 
ligious instruction  from  that  which  is 
injurious.  It  refers  to  the  delicate 
taste  which  an  experienced  Christian 
has  in  regard  to  those  doctrines  which 
impart  most  light  and  consolation. 
Experience  will  thus  enable  one  to 
discern  what  is  fitted  to  the  soul  of 
man ;  what  elevates  and  purifies  the 
affections,  and  what  tends  to  draw 
the  heart  near  to  God.  IT  Have  their 
senses.  The  word  here  used  means 
properly  the  senses  —  as  we'  use  the 
term  ;  the  seat  of  sensation,  the  smell, 
taste,  &,c.  Then  it  means  the  inter- 
nal sense,  the  faculty  of  perceiving 
truth  ;  and  this  is  the  idea  here.  The 
meaning  is,  that  by  long  experience 
Christians  come  to  be  able  to  under- 
stand the  more  elevated  doctrines  of 
Christianity ;  they  see  their  beauty 
and  value,  and  they  are  able  carefully 
and  accurately  to  distinguish  them 
from  error.  Comp.  Notes  John  vii.  17. 
^  To  discern  both  good  and  evil.  That 
is,  in  doctrine.  They  will  appreciate 
and  understand  that  which  is  true ; 
they  will  reject  that  which  is  false. 

REMARKS. 

1.  Let  us  rejoice  that  we  have  a 
High  Priest  who  is  duly  called  to 
take  upon  himself  the  functions  of 
that  great  office,  and  who  lives  for 
ever.  Vs.  1 — 6  True,  he  was  not  of 
the  tribe  of  Levi ;  he  was  not  a  de- 
scendant of  Aaron ;  but  he  had  a 
more  noble  elevation,  and  a  more  ex- 
alted rank.  He  was  the  Son  of  God, 
and  was  called  to  his  office  by  special 
divine  designation.  He  did  not  ob- 
trude himself  into  tlie  work;  he  did 
not  unduly  exalt  himself,  but  he  was 
directly  called  to  it  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  God.  When,  moreover,  the 
Jewish  high  priests  could  look  back 
on  the  long  line  of  their  ancestors, 
and  trace  the  succession  up  to  Aaron, 
it  was  in  the  power  of  the  great  High 
Priest  of  the  Christian  faith  to  look 


cised  to  discern  both  good  and 
evil. 

'  or,  perfect. 

2  or,  an  habit;  or,  perfection. 

farther  back  still,  and  to  be  associated 
in  the  office  with  one  of  higher  anti- 
quity than  Aaron,  and  of  higher  rank 
—  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men 
of  all  ancient  times — he  whom  Abra- 
ham acknowledged  as  his  superior, 
and  from  wliom  Abraham  received 
the  benediction. 

2.  It  is  not  unmanly  to  weep.  Ver. 
7.  The  Son  of  God  poured  out  prayers 
and  supplications  with  strong  crying 
and  tears.  He  wept  at  the  grave  of 
Lazarus,  and  he  wept  over  Jerusalem. 
If  the  Redeemer  wept,  it  is  not  un- 
manly to  weep ;  and  we  should  not  be 
ashamed  to  have  tears  seen  streaming 
down  our  cheeks.  Tears  are  appointed 
by  God  to  be  the  natural  expression 
of  sorrow,  and  often  to  fiirnish  a  re- 
lief to  a  burdened  soul.  We  instinc- 
tively honour  the  man  whom  we  see 
weeping  when  there  is  occasion  for 
grief.  We  sympathize  with  him  in 
his  sorrow,  and  we  love  him  the  more. 
When  we  see  a  father  who  could  face 
the  cannon's  mouth  without  shrink- 
ing".  y«^t  weeping  over  the  open  grave 
of  a  daughter,  we  honour  him  more 
than  we  could  otherwise  do.  He 
shows  that  he  has  a  heart  that  can 
love  and  feel,  as  vv^ell  as  courage  that 
can  meet  danger  without  alarm. 
Washington  wept  when  he  signed 
the  deatli-warrant  of  Major  Andr6; 
and  who  ever  read  the  affecting  ac- 
count without  feeling  that  his  charac- 
ter  was  the  more  wortliy  of  our  love  ? 
Tliere  is  enough  in  the  world  to  make 
us  weep.  Sickness,  calamity,  death, 
are  around  us.  They  come  into  our 
dwellings,  and  our  dearest  objects  of 
affection  are  taken  away,  and  God 
intends  that  we  shall  deepl)'  feel. 
Tears  here  will  make  heaven  more 
sweet ;  and  our  sorrows  on  earth  are 
intended  to  prepare  us  for  the  joy  of 
that  day  when  it  shall  be  announced 
to  us  that  '  ah  tears  shall  be  wiped 
away  from  every  face.' 

3.  We  see  the  propriety  of  prayer 


124 


HEBREWS. 


A.  I).  61. 


in  view  of  approaching  death,  Vcr.  7. 
The  Redeemer  prayed  when  he  felt 
that  he  must  die.  We  know,  also, 
thut  vvc  must  die.  True,  we  sliail 
not  suffer  as  he  did.  He  had  |)ang.s 
on  the  cross  wliich  no  other  dying 
man  ever  bore.  But  death  to  us  is  an 
object  of  dread.  The  hour  of  deatji 
is  a  fearful  hour.  The  scene  when 
a  man  dies  is  a  gloomy  scene.  The 
sunken  eye,  the  pallid  cheek,  the 
clammy  sweat,  the  stiffened  corse, 
the  coffin,  the  shroud,  the  grave,  are 
all  sad  and  gloomy  things.  We  know 
not,  too,  what  severe  pangs  we  may 
have  when  we  die.  Death  may  come 
to  us  in  some  peculiarly  fearful  form; 
and  in  view  of  his  approach  in  any 
way,  we  should  pray.  Pray,  dying 
man,  that  you  may  be  prepared  for 
that  sad  hour;  pray,  that  yon  may 
not  be  lefl  to  complain,  and  rebel,  and 
murmur  then ;  pray  that  you  may  lie 
down  in  calmness  and  peace ;  pray 
that  you  may  be  enabled  to  honour 
God  even  in  death. 

4.  It  is  not  sinful  to  dread  death. 
Ver.  7.  The  Redeemer  dreaded  it. 
His  human  nature,  though  perfectly 
holy,  shrank  back  from  the  fearftil 
agonies  of  dying.  The  fear  of  death, 
therefore,  in  itself  is  not  sinful.  Chris- 
tians are  oflen  troubled  because  they 
have  not  that  calmness  in  the  pros- 
pect of  death  which  they  suppose  they 
ought  to  have,  and  because  their  na- 
ture shrinks  back  from  the  dying 
pang.  Tliey  suppose  that  such  feel- 
ings are  inconsistent  with  religion, 
and  that  they  who  have  them  cannot 
be"  true  Christians.  But  they  forget 
their  Redeemer  and  his  sorrows ; 
they  forget  the  earnestness  with  which 
he  pleaded  tliat  the  cup  might  be  re- 
moved. Death  is  in  itself  fearful, 
and  it  is  a  part  of  our  nature  to  dread 
it,  and  even  in  the  best  of  minds 
sometimes  the  fear  of  it  is  not  wholly 
taken  away  until  the  hour  comes, 
and  God  gives  them  ^  dying  grace.'' 
There  are  probably  two  reasons  why 
God  made  death  so  fearful  to  man. 
(1.)  One  is,  to  impress  him  with  the 
importance  of  being  prepared  for  it. 
Death  is  to  him  the  entrance  on  an 


endless  being,  and  it  is  an  object  of 
God  to  keep  the  attention  fixed  on 
that  as  a  most  momentous  and  solemn 
event.     The  ox,  the  lamb,  the  robin, 
the  dove,  have  no  immortal   nature; 
no  conscience  ;  no  responsibility,  and 
no  need   of  making  preparation  for 
death — and  lienee — except  in  a  very 
slight  degree — they  seem  to  liave  no 
dread  of  dying.  But  not  so  with  man. 
He  has  an  undying  soul.     His  main 
business  here  is  to  prepare  for  death 
and  for  the  world  beyond,  and  hence, 
by  all  the  fear  of  the  dying  pang,  and 
by  all  the  horror  of  the   grave,  God 
would  fix  tlie  attention  of  man  on  his 
own    death    as    a    most    momentous 
event,  and  lead  him  to  seek  that  hope 
of  immortality  which  alone  can  lay 
the  foundation  for  any  proper  remo- 
val of  the  fear  of  dying.     (2.)  The 
other   reason   is,  to  deter  man  from 
taking  his  own  life.     To  keep  him 
from  this,  he  is  made  so  as  to  start 
back  from  death.     He  fears  it ;  it  is 
to  him  an  object  of  deepest  dread,  and 
even  when  pressed  down  by  calamity 
and    sadness,    as  a  general   law,   he 
'  had  rather  bear  the  ills  he  has,  than 
fly  to  others  that  he  knows  not  of.' 
Man  is  the  only  creature  in  reference 
to  whom  this  danger  exists.     There 
is  no  one  of  the  brute  creation,  unless 
it  be  the  scorpion,  tliat  will  take  its 
own   life,  and   hence  they  have   not 
such  a  dread  of  dying.    But  we  know 
how  it  is  with  man.     W^-ary  of  lite; 
goaded  by  a  guilty  conscience ;  dis- 
appointed   and    heart-broken,    he    ia 
under  strong    temptation  to  commit 
the  enormous   crime  of  self-murder, 
and  to  rush  uncalled  to  the  bar  of 
God.      As  one  of  the  means  of  de- 
terring from  this,  God  has  so  made 
us  that  we  fear  to  die  ;  and  thousands 
are  kept  from  this  enormous  crime 
by  this  fear,  when  nothing  else  would 
save  them.     It  is  benevolence,  there- 
fore, to  tiie  world,  that  man  is  afraid 
to  die — and  in  every  pang  of  the  dy- 
ing struggle,  and  every  thing  about 
deatii  that  makes  us  turn   pale  and 
tremble   at   its  approacli,  there  is  iii 
some  way  the  manifestation  of  good 
ness  to  mankind. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VT. 


125 


5.  We  may  be  comforted  in  the 
prospect  of  death  by  looking  to  the 
example  of  the  Redeemer.  Ver.  7. 
Much  as  we  may  fear  to  die,  and 
much  as  we  may  be  left  to  suffer 
then,  of  one  thing  we  may  be  sure. 
It  is,  that  he  has  gone  beyond  us  in 
suffering.  The  sorrows  of  our  dying 
will  never  equal  his.  We  shall  never 
go  through  such  scenes  as  occurred 
in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  and  on 
the  cross.  It  may  be  some  consola- 
tion that  human  nature  has  endured 
greater  pangs  than  we  shall,  and  that 
there  is  one  who  has  surpassed  us 
even  in  our  keenest  sufferings.  It 
should  be  to  us  a  source  of  consola- 
tion,  also  of  the  higliest  kind,  that  he 
did  it  that  he  might  alleviate  our  sor- 
rows, and  that  he  miglit  drive  away 
the  horrors  of  death  from  us  by  'bring- 
ing life  and  immortality  to  light,'  and 

♦►that  as  the  result  of  his  sufferings  our 
dying  moments  may  be  calm  and 
peaceful. 

6.  It  oflen  occurs  that  men  are  true 
Christians,  and  yet  are  ignorant  of 
some  of  the  elementary  principles  of 
religion.  Ver.  12.  This  is  owing  to 
such  things  as  the  following ;  —  a 
want  of  early  religious  instruction  ; 
the  faults  of  preachers  who  fail  to 
teach  their  people  ;  a  want  of  inquiry 
on  the  part  of  Christians,  and  the  in- 
terest which  they  feel  in  other  things 
above  that  which  they  feel  in  religion. 
It  is  often  surprising  what  vague  and 
unsettled  opinions  many  professed 
Christians  have  on  some  of  the  most 
important  points  of  Christianity,  and 
how  little  qualified  they  are  to  defend 
their  opinions  when  they  arc  attack- 
ed. Of  multitudes  in  the  Church 
even  now  it  might  be  said,  that  tJiey 
*  need  some  one  to  teach  them  what 
are  the  very  first  principles  of  true 
religion.'  To  some  of  tlie  elementary 
doctrines  of  Christianity  about  dead- 
ness  to  the  world,  about  self-denial, 
about  prayer,  about  doing  good,  and 
about  spirituality;  they  are  utter 
strangers.  So  of  forgiveness  of  inju- 
ries, and  charity,  and  love  for  a  dying 
world.  These  are  the  elements  of 
Christianity  —  rudiments  which  chil- 
li* 


dren  in  righteousness  should  learn 
and  yet  they  are  not  learned  by  mul- 
titudes who  bear  the  Christian  name. 
7.  All  Christians  ought  to  be  teach, 
ers.  Ver.  12.  I  do  not  mean  that  they 
should  all  hepreachers;  but  they  should 
all  so  live  as  to  teach  others  the  true 
nature  of  religion.  This  they  should 
do  by  their  example,  and  by  their 
daily  conversation.  Any  Christian  is 
qualified  to  impart  useful  instruction 
to  others.  The  servant  of  lowest  rank 
may  teach  his  master  how  a  Christian 
should  live.  A  child  may  thus  teach 
a  parent  how  he  should  live,  and  his 
daily  walk  may  furnish  to  the  parent 
lessons  of  inestimable  value.  Neigh 
hours  may  thus  teach  neighbours ; 
and  strangers  may  learn  of  strangers. 
Every  Christian  has  a  knowledge  of 
the  way  to  be  saved  which  it  would 
be  of  the  highest  value  to  others  to 
know,  and  is  qualified  to  tell  the 
rich,  and  proud,  and  learned  sinner, 
that  about  himself  and  of  the  final 
destiny  of  man  of  which  he  is  now 
v.'holly  ignorant.  Let  it  be  remem- 
bered, also,  that  the  world  derives  its 
views  of  the  nature  of  religion  from 
the  lives  and  conduct  of  its  professed 
friends.  It  is  not  from  the  Bible,  or 
from  the  pulpit,  or  from  books,  that 
men  learn  what  Christianity  is  ;  it  is 
from  the  daily  walk  of  those  who  pro- 
fess to  be  its  friends ;  and  every  day  we 
live,  a  wife,  a  child,  a  neighbour,  or  a 
stranger,  is  forming  some  view  of  the 
nature  of  religion  from  what  they  see 
in  us.  How  important,  therefore,  it 
is  that  we  so  live  as  to  communicate 
to  them  just  views  of  what  constitutes 
religion ! 

CHAPTER  VI. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    CHAPTER. 

In  ch.  V.  10,  11,  the  apostle  had 
said  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  called 
to  the  office  of  high  priest  after  the 
order  of  Melchisedek,  and  that  there 
were  many  things  to  be  said  of  him 
which  were  not  easy  to  be  understood. 
They  had  not,  he  says,  advanced  as 
far  in  the  knowledge  of  the  true  reli- 
gion as  might  have  been  reasonably 
expected,  but  had  rather  gone  back 


1'2C 


HEBREWS. 


{A.  1).  C4. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THEREFORE,"  leaving '  the 
principles  of  the  doctrine 


Ch.  V.  12—14.  The  design  of  this 
cliapter  sccins  to  be  to  warn  ihvm 
against  tlie  danger  of  going  back  en- 
tirely, and  to  encourage  them  to  make 
the  highest  attainments  possible  in 
the  knowledgcof  Christianity,  and  in 
the  divine  hfe.  The  apostle  would 
keep  them  from  entire  apostasy,  and 
would  excite  them  to  make  all  the 
advances  which  they  possibly  could 
make,  and  particularly  lie  designs 
to  prepare  them  to  receive  what  he 
had  yet  to  say  about  the  higher  doc- 
trines of  the  Christian  religion.  In 
doing  this  he  presents  the  following 
considerations. 

(1.)  An  exhortation  to  leavt  the 
elements  or  rudiments  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  to  go  on  to  the  con- 
templation of  the  higher  doctrines. 
The  elements  were  the  doctrines  of 
repentance,  faith,  laying  on  of  hands, 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  eter- 
nal judgment.  These  entered  into 
the  very  nature  of  Christianity.  They 
were  its  first  principles,  and  were 
indispensable.  The  higher  doctrines 
related  to  other  matters,  whicii  tlie 
apostle  called  them  now  to  contem- 
plate.  Vs.  1—3. 

(2.)  He  warns  them,  in  the  most 
solemn  manner,  against  apostasy. 
He  assures  them  that  t/ they  should 
apostatize,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
renew  them  again.  They  could  not 
fall  away  from  grace  and  again  be 
renewed  ;  they  could  not,  after  having 
been  Christians  and  then  apostatiz- 
ing, be  recovered.  Their  fall  in  that 
case  would  be  final  and  irrecoverable, 
for  there  was  no  other  way  by  which 
they  could  be  saved  ;  and  by  rejecting 
the  Christian  scheme,  they  would  re- 
ject the  only  plan  by  which  they 
could  ever  be  brought  to  heaven.  By 
this  solemn  consideration,  therefore, 
lie  warns  them  of  the  danger  of  going 
back  from  their  exalted  hopes,  or  of 
neglecting  the  op])ortunities  which 
they  had  to  advance  to  the  knowledge 


of  Christ,  let  us  go  on  unto  per- 
fection ;   not  laying  again    the 

a  I'll.  3.  12-14. 

I  or,  the  word  of  the  beginning  (ff  ChrUt. 

of  the  higher  truths  of  religion.  Vs. 
4—6. 

(3.)  This  sentiment  is  illustrated 
(vs.  7,  8)  by  a  striking  and  bcautifijl  ^ 
figure  drawn  from  agriculture.  The 
sentiment  was,  that  they  who  did  not 
improve  their  advantage,  and  grow 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  but 
who  should  go  back  and  apostatize, 
would  inevitably  be  destroyed.  They 
could  not  be  renewed  and  saved.  It 
will  be,  says  the  apostle,  a-s  it  is  with 
the  earth.  That  which  receives  the 
rain  that  falls,  and  that  bears  its  pro- 
per increase  for  the  use  of  man,  par- 
takes of  the  divine  blessing.  That 
which  does  not — which  bears  only 
thorns  and  briers — is  rejected,  and  is 
nigh  to  cursing,  and  will  be  burned 
with  fire. 

(4.)  Yet  the  apostle  says,  he  hoped 
better  things  of  them.  They  had, 
indeed,  receded  from  what  they  had 
been.  They  liad  not  made  the  ad- 
vances which  he  says  they  might 
have  done.  But  still,  there  was  rea- 
son to  hope  that  they  would  not 
wholly  apostatize,  and  be  cast  off  by 
God.  They  had  shown  that  they  had 
true  religion,  and  he  believed  that  God 
would  not  forget  the  evidence  which 
they  had  furnished  that  they  loved 
him.  Vs.  9,  10. 

(5.)  He  expresses  his  earnest  wish 
that  they  all  would  show  the  same 
diligence  until  they  attained  the  full 
assurance  of  hope.  Vs.  11,  12. 

(6.)  To  encourage  them  in  this,  he 
refers  them  to  the  solemn  oath  which 
God  had  taken,  and  his  sacred  cove- 
nant with  them  confirmed  by  an  oath 
in  order  that  they  might  have  true 
consolation,  and  be  sustained  in  the 
temptations  and  trials  of  life.  That 
hope  was  their.':.  It  was  sure  and 
steadfast.  It  entered  into  that  within 
the  veil ;  it  had  been  confirmed  by 
him  who  had  entered  heaven  as  the 
great  High  Priest  after  the  order  of 
I  Melchisedek.  Vs.  13—20.     By  such 


A.  D.  G4.j 


CHAPTER  VI. 


ISt 


foundation  of  repentance  from 


a  c.  9.  14. 


i  c.  11.  6. 


considerations  he  would  guard  them 
from  the  danger  of  apostasy ;  he  would 
encom-age  them  to  diligence  in  the 
divine  life  ;  and  he  would  seek  to  pre- 
pare them  to  welcome  the  more  higii 
and  difficult  doctrines  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

1.  Therefore.  '  Since,  as  was  stated 
in  the  previous  chapter,  you  ought  to 
be  capable  of  comprehending  the 
higher  doctrines  of  religion ;  since 
those  doctrines  are  adapted  to  those 
who  have  been  for  a  considerable  time 
professors  of  Christianity,  and  have 
had  opportunities  of  growing  in  know- 
ledge and  grace — as  much  as  strong 
meat  is  for  those  of  mature  years — 
leave  now  the  elements  of  Christian 
doctrine,  and  go  on  to  understand  its 
higher  mysteries.'  The  idea  is,  that 
to  those  who  had  so  long  been  ac- 
quainted with  the  way  of  salvation, 
the  elements  of  Christianity  were  no 
more  adapted  than  milk  \\a.s.  for 
grown  persons.  If  Leaving.  Dismiss- 
ing ;  intermitting ;  passing  by  the 
consideration  of  with  a  view  to  ad- 
vance to  something  higher.  The 
apostle  refers  to  his  discussion  of  the 
subject,  and  also  to  their  condition. 
He  wished  to  go  on  to  the  contem- 
plation of  higher  doctrines,  and  he 
desired  that  they  should  no  longer 
linger  around  the  mere  elements. 
'  Let  us  advance  to  a  higher  state  of 
knowledge  than  the  mere  elements 
of  the  subject.'  On  the  sense  of  the 
word  '  leaving,'  or  quitting  with  a 
view  to  engage  in  something  else,  see 
Matt.  iv.  20.  22 ;  v.  24.  IT  The  prin. 
ciples.  Marg.  The  word  of  the  begin- 
ning of  Christ.  Tindal  renders  it, 
'  let  us  leave  the  doctrine  pertaining 
to  the  beginning  of  a  Christian  man.' 
Coverdale,  '  let  us  leave  the  doctrine 
pertaining  to  the  beginning  of  a  Chris- 
tian life.'  On  the  word  '  principles' 
see  Note  cli.  v.  12.  The  Greek  there, 
indeed,  is  not  the  same  as  in  this 
place,  but  the  idea  is  evidently  the 
flame.  The  reference  is  to  what  he 
regarded  as  the  very  elements  of  the 


dead  works,  and  of  faith  ^  to- 
ward God, 

Cliristian  doctrine ;  and  the  meaning 
is,  '  let  us  no  longer  linger  here.  We 
should  go  on  to  higher  attainments. 
We  should  wholly  understand  the 
systei*.  We  should  discuss  and  re- 
ceive its  great  principles.  You  have 
been  long  enough  converted  to  have 
understood  these ;  but  you  linger 
among  the  very  elementary  truths  of 
religion.  But  you  cannot  remain  here. 
You  must  either  advance  or  recede; 
and  if  you  do  not  go  forward,  you 
will  go  back  into  entire  apostasy, 
when  it  will  be  impossilde  to  be  re- 
newed.' The  apostle  here,  therefore, 
does  not  refer  to  his  discussion  of 
the  points  under  consideration  as  the 
main  thing,  but  to  their  state  as  one 
of  danger  ;  and  in  writing  to  them 
he  was  not  content  to  discuss  the 
elements  of  religion  as  being  alone 
fitted  to  their  condition,  but  would 
have  them  make  higher  attainments, 
and  advance  to  the  more  elevated 
principles  of  the  gospel.  ^  Of  the 
doctrine.  Literally,  '  the  word' — 'Xovov 
— reason,  or  doctrine  of  the  beginning 
of  Christ.'  That  is,  the  word  or  rea- 
son that  pertains  to  tliu  elements  of 
his  system ;  the  first  principles  of 
Christian  doctrine.  ^OJ  Christ.  Which 
pertain  to  the  Messiah.  Either  that 
which  he  taught,  or  that  which  is 
taught  of  him  and  his  religion.  Most 
probably  it  is  the  latter — that  which 
pertains  to  the  Messiah,  or  to  the 
Christian  revflation.  The  idea  is, 
that  there  is  a  set  of  truths  which 
may  be  regarded  as  lying  at  the  foun- 
dation of  Christian  doctrine,  and  those 
truths  they  had  embraced,  but  had 
not  advanced  beyond  them,  "f  Let 
us  go  on.  Let  us  advance  to  a  higher 
state  of  knowledge  and  holiness.  The 
reference  is  alike  to  his  discussioa  of 
[  the  subject,  and  to  their  advancement 
i  in  piety  and  in  knowledge.  He  would 
not  linger  around  these  clein^-'nts  in 
the  discussion,  nor  would  he  have 
!  them  linger  at  the  threshold  of  the 
I  Christian  doctrines.  ^  Unto  perfection 
1  Com  p.  Notes  ch.  ii.  10.  The  word  here 


128 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


is  used,  evidently,  to  denote  an  ad- 
vanccd  state  of  Christian  knowledge 
and  piety  ;  or  the  more  elevated  Chris- 
tian doetrines,  and  the  holier  living  to 
vvfliich  it  was  their  duty  to  attain. 
It  does  not  refer  solely  to  the  inten- 
tion of  the  apostle  to  dincuss  the  more 
elevated  doctrines  of  Christiaivity.hut 
lo  such  an  advance  as  would  secure 
them  from  the  danger  of  uposlasij. 
If  it  should  be  said,  liowevcr,  tiiat  tlie 
word  ^perfections  is  to  be  understood 
in  the  most  absolute  and  unqualified 
sense,  as  denoting  entire  freedom 
from  sin,  it  may  be  remarked,  (1.) 
that  this  does  not  prove  that  tliey 
ever  attained  to  it,  nor  should  this  be 
adduced  as  a  text  to  show  that  such 
an  attainment  is  ever  made.  To  ex- 
hort a  man  to  do  a  thing — however 
reasonable — is  no  proof  in  itself  that 
it  is  ever  done.  -  (2.)  It  is  proper  to 
exhort  Christians  to  aim  at  entire 
perfection.  Even  if  none  have  ever 
reached  that  point  on  earth,  that  fact 
does  not  make  it  any  the  less  desira- 
ble or  proper  to  aim  at  it.  (.3.)  There 
is  much  in  making  an  honest  attempt 
to  be  perfectly  holy,  even  though  we 
should  not  attain  to  it  in  this  lite.  No 
man  accomplishes  much  who  does  not 
aim  high.  1i  Not  laying  again  the 
foundation.  Not  laying  down  —  as 
one  does  a  foundation  for  an  edifice. 
The  idea  is,  that  they  were  not  to 
begin  and  build  all  this  over  again. 
They  were  not  to  make  it  necessary 
to  lay  down  again  the  very  corner- 
stones, and  the  foundationsof  the  edi- 
fice, but  since  these  tcere  laid  already, 
they  were  to  go  on  and  build  tlie  su- 
perstructure and  complete  the  edifice. 
^  Of  repentance  from  dead  loorks. 
From  works  that  cause  deatii  or  con- 
demnation ;  or  that  liave  no  vitality 
or  life.  The  reference  may  be  eitiier 
to  those  actions  which  were  sinful 
in  their  nature,  or  to  those  which  re- 
lated to  the  forms  of  religion,  where 
tliere  was  no  spiritual  lile.  This  was 
the  character  of  much  of  the  religion 
of  the  Jews ;  and  conversion  to  the 
true  religion  consisted  greatly  in  re- 

Ecntance  for  having  relied  on  those 
eartless   and   hollow   forms.     It  is 


possible  that  the  apostle  referred 
mainly  to  these,  as  he  was  writing  to 
tliosc  who  had  been  Hebrews.  When 
formalists  arc  converted,  one  of  the 
first  and  the  main  exercises  of  their 
minds  in  conversion,  consists  in  deep 
and  gcimine  sorrow  for  their  depend* 
ence  on  those  forms.  Religion  is  life; 
and  irrcligion  is  a  state  of  spiritual 
death,  (Comp.  Notes  on  Eph.  ii.  1), 
whether  it  be  in  of>en  transgression, 
or  in  false  and  hollow  forms  of  reli- 
gion. The  apostle  has  here  stated 
what  is  the  first  element  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  It  consists  in  genuine 
sorrow  for  sin,  and  a  ])urpose  to  turn 
from  it.  See  Note  Matt.  iii.  2.  H  And 
of  faith  toward  God.  See  Note  on 
Mark  xvi.  16.  This  is  the  second 
element  in  the  Christian  system. 
Faith  is  everywhere  required  in  order 
to  salvation,  but  it  is  usually  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  that  is  spoken  of.  See 
Acts  XX.  21.  Here,  however,  faith 
in  God  is  particularly  referred  to. 
But  there  is  no  essential  ditference. 
It  is  faith  in  God  in  regard  to  his  ex- 
istence and  perfections,  and  to  his 
plan  of  saving  men.  It  includes, 
therefore,  faith  in  his  message  and 
messenger,and  thus  embraces  the  plan 
of  salvation  by  the  Redeemer.  Tiiere 
is  but  one  God — '  the  God  and  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;'  and  he 
who  believes  in  the  true  God  believes 
in  him  as  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost;  the  Author  of  the  plan  of  re- 
demption, and  the  Saviour  of  lost 
men.  No  one  can  believe  in  the  true 
God  who  docs  not  believe  in  the  Sa- 
viour. Comp.  John  v.  23 ;  xvii.  3. 
He  who  supposes  that  he  confides  in 
any  other  God  than  the  Author  of  the 
Cliristian  religion,  worships  a  being 
I  of  the  imagination  as  really  as  though 
he  bowed  down'  to  a  block  of  wood 
or  stone.  If  Christianity  is  true,  there 
is  no  such  God  as  the  infidel  pro- 
fesses to  believe  in,  any  more  than 
the  God  of  the  Brahmin  has  an  ex- 
istence. To  believe  in  God,  therefore, 
.  is  to  believe  in  him  as  he  actually  ex- 
isis — as  the  true  God — the  Author  of 
the  great  plan  of  salvation  by  the  Re- 
deemer.    It  is  needless  to  attempt  to 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTEI'   VI. 


n> 


2  Of  the   doctrine    of   bap- 


show  that  faith  in  the  true  God  is  es- 
sential to  salvation.  How  can  he  be 
saved  who  has  no  confidence  in  the 
God  that  made  him  ? 

'2.    Of    the    doctrine   of    baptisms. 
This  is  mentioned  as  the  third  ele- 
ment or  principle  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion.     The  Jews  made  much  of  va- 
rious kinds  of  washings,  which  were 
called  baptisms.     See  Note  Mark  vii. 
4.  It  is  supposed  also,  that  they  were 
in  the  practice  of  baptizing-  proselytes 
to  their  religion.     Note  Matt.  iii.  6. 
Since  they  made  so  much  of  various 
kinds  of  ablution,  it  was  important 
that  the  true  doctrine  on  the  subject 
should  be  stated  as  one  of  the  ele- 
ments of  the  Christian  religion,  tliat 
they  might  be  recalled  from  supersti- 
tion, and  that  they  might  enjoy  the 
benefits  of  what  was  designed  to  be 
an  important  aid   to  piety — the  true 
doctrine  of  baptisms.     It  will  be  ob- 
served that  the   plural   form  is  used 
here — baptisms.     There  are  two  bap- 
tisms whose  necessity  is  taught  by 
tlie  Christian  religion  —  baptism    by 
water,  and  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  the 
first  of  which  is  an  emblem  of  the 
second.  These  are  stated  to  be  among 
the  elements  of  Christianity,  or  the 
things  which  Christian  converts  would 
first  learn.     The  necessity  of  both  is 
taught.       He    that    believetli  and    is 
baptized  shall  be  saved.     Mark  xvi. 
16.   "  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water 
and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God."     John  iii.  5. 
On  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
see  Notes  on  Matt.  iii.  1 1 ;  Acts  i.  5  ; 
comp.  Acts  xix.  1—6.  To  understand 
the  true  doctrine  respecting  baptism 
was  one  of  the  first  principles  to  be 
learned  then  as  it  is  now,  as  baptism 
is  the  rite  by  which  we  are  initiated 
into  the  Church.     This  was  supposed 
to  be  so  simple  that  young  converts 
could  understand  it  as  one  of  the  ele- 
ments  of  the   true  religion,  and  the 
teaching  on  that  subject  now  should 
be  made  so  plain  that  the  humblest 
disciple  may  comprehend  it.      If  it 


tisms,     and  ';f  laying   on  *  oJ 

a  J...  ja  4,5.  b  Ac.  8.  17. 


was  an  element  or  first  principle  ot 
religion  ;  if  it  was  presumed  that  any 
one  who  entered  the  Church  could 
understand  it,  can  it  be  believed  that 
it  was  then  so  perplexing  and  em- 
barrassing as  it  is  often  made  now  ? 
Can  it  be  believed  that  a  vast  array 
of  learning,  and  a  knowledge  of  lan- 
guages, and  a  careful  inquiry  into 
the  customs  of  ancient  times,  was 
needful  in  order  that  a  candidate  for 
baptism  should  understand  it  ?  The 
truth  is,  that  it  was  probably  regard- 
ed as  among  the  most  simple  and 
plain  matters  of  religion  ;  and  every 
convert  was  supposed  to  understand 
that  the  application  of  water  to  the  body 
in  this  ordinance,  in  any  mode,  was 
designed  to  be  merely  emblematic  of 
the  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghosts 
IT  And  of  laying  on  of  hands.  This 
is  the  fourth  element  or  principle  of 
religion.  The  Jews  practised  the  lay- 
ing on  of  hands  on  a  great  variety  of 
occ^ions.  It  was  done  when  a  bless, 
ing  was  imparted  to  any  one  ;  whea 
prayer  was  made  for  one ;  and  when 
they  offered  sacrifice  they  laid  their 
hands  on  the  head  of  the  victim,  con- 
fessing their  sins.  Lev.  xvi.  21 ;  xxiv. 
14;  Num.  viii.  12.  It  was  done  on 
occasions  of  solemn  consecration  to 
office,  and  when  friend  supplicated 
the  divine  favour  on  fi-iend.  In  like 
manner,  it  was  often  done  by  the  Sa- 
viour  and  the  apostles.  The  Redeemer 
laid  liis  hands  on  children  to  bless 
them,  and  on  the  sick  when  he  healed 
them.  Matt.  xix.  13;  Mark  v.  23; 
P»Iatt.  ix.  18.  In  like  manner  the 
apostles  laid  hands  on  others  in  the 
following  circumstances.  (1.)  In  heal- 
ing the  sick.  Acts  xxviii.  8.  (2.)  In 
ordination  to  office.  I.  Tim.  v.  22 ; 
Acts  vi.  6.  (3.)  In  imparting  the 
miraculous  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Acts  viii.  17.  19  ;  xix.  6.  The 
true  doctrine  respecting  the  design 
of  laying  on  the  hands,  is  said  here 
to  be  one  of  the  elements  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  That  the  custom  of 
laying  on  the  hands  as  symbolical  of 


130 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  CI. 


hands,  and  of"  resurrection  of 

•  Ac.  17.  31 ;  26.  8. 


imparting  spiritual  gifts,  prevailed  in 
the  Cliureh  iii  tlic  time  of  the  apostles,  ; 
no  one  ean  (iotibt.     But  on  the  ques- 
tion whether  it  is  to  be  regarded  as 
of  perj)etual  obligation  in  tlie  Chureh, 
we    are    to    remember,  (1.)  that  the 
apostles  were  endowed  with  the  power 
of  imparting  the  influences  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  a  miraculous  or  extraordi- 
nary manner.     It  was  with  reference 
to   such  an   imparting  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  the  expression  is  used  in 
each  of  the  cases  where  it  occurs  in 
tlie  New  Testament.      (2.)  The   Sa- 
viour did  not  appoint  the  imposition 
of  the  hands  of  a  '  bisliop'  to  be  one 
of  tlie  rites  or  ceremonies  to  be  ob- 
served   perpetually    in    the   Church. 
The  injunction  to  be  baptized  and  to 
observe  his  supper  is  positive,  and  is 
universal  in  its  obligation.    But  there 
is  no  such  command  respecting  the 
imposition   of  hands.     (3.)    No   one 
now  is  intrusted  with  the  power  of 
imparting   the  Holy    Spirit    in  dhat 
manner.    There  is  no  class  of  officers 
in   the  Church,  that  can  make  good 
their  claim  to  any  such  power.  What 
evidence  is  there  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  imparted  at  the  rite  of  '  confirma- 
tion?'    (4.)  It  is  liable  to  be  abused, 
or   to  lead  persons  to  substitute  the 
form  for  the  thing ;  or  to  think  that 
because  they  have  been  'confirmed,' 
that  therefore    they  are   sure  of  the 
mercy  and  favour  of  God.     Still,  if  it 
be  regarded  as  a.  simple  for7n  of  admis- 
sion  to    a    church,  without  claiming 
that  it  is  enjoined  by  God,  or  that  it 
is   connected   with  any  authority  to 
impart  the  Holy  Spirit,  no  objection 
can  be  made   to   it  any  more   than 
there    need    be   to   any   other    f(>rm 
of  recognising  Church  membership. 
Every  pastor  has  a  right,  if  he  choos- 
es, to  lay  his  hands  on  the  members 
of  his  flock,  and  to  implore  a  blessing 
on  them;  and  such  an  act  on  making 
a  profession  of  religion  would  liavc 
much  in  it  that  would  be  appropriate 
and   solemn.     ^  And  of  resurrection 
of  the  dead.    This  is  mentioned  as  the 


the  dead,  and  of  eternal  judg 
inent. 

^fifth    element   or    principle    of   the 
Christian  religion.  This  doctrine  was 
denied  by  the  Sadducees,  (.Mark  xii. 
18;  Acts  xxiii.  8),  and  was  ridiculed 
by  philosophers.     Acts  xvii.  32.     It 
was,  however,  clearly  taught  by  the 
Saviour,  (John  v.  28,  29),  and  became 
one  of  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  his 
religion.     By  the  resurrection  of  the 
1  dead,   however,   in  tlie    New   Testa 
ment,  there   is    more   intended  than 
the  resurrection  of  the    body.     The 
question   about  the   resurrection  in- 
cluded the  whole  inquiry  about  the 
future  state,  or  whether  man  would 
live  at  all  in  the  future  world.  Comp. 
Notes  on  Matt.  xxii.  23  ;  Acts  xxiii.  6. 
This  is  one  of  the    most  important 
subjects  that  can  come  before  the  hu- 
man mind,  and  one  on  wliich  man 
has    felt   more    perplexity  than   any 
other.     The  belief  of  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead  is  an  elementary  article 
in  the  system  of  Christianity.    It  lies 
at  tlie  foundation  of  all  our  hopes. 
Christianity   is  designed  to   prepare 
us  for  a  future  state ;  and  one  of  the 
first  things,  therefore,  in  the  prepara- 
tion, is  to  assure  us  there  is  a  future 
state,  and  to  tell,  us  what  it  is.     It  is, 
moreover,  a  peculiar  doctrine  of  Chris- 
tianity.    The  belief  of  the  resurrec- 
tion is  found  in  no  other  system  of  re- 
ligion,  nor  is  there  a  ray  of  light  shed 
upon  the  future  condition  of  man  by 
any  other  scheme   of  philosophy  or 
religion.    ^  And  of  eternal  judgment. 
This  is  the  sixth  element  or  principle 
of  religion.     It  is,  that  there  will  be 
a  judgment  whose  consequences  will 
be    eternal.     It    does   not    mean,   of 
course,  that  the  process  of  the  judg- 
ment  will    be    eternal,    or   that   the 
judgment-day  will  continue  for  ever; 
but  tiiat  the  results  or  consequents  of 
the  decision  of  that  daj'  will  continue 
for  ever.     There  will   be   no   appeal 
from  the  sentence,  nor  will  there  Iks 
any   reversal   of  the   judgment  then 
pronounced.     What  is  decided  then 
will  be  determined  for  ever.     The  ap- 
proval of  tlie  righteous  will  fix  thoir 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


m 


3  And  this  will  we  do,  if" 
God  permit. 

4  For  it  is  impossible  *  for 

a  Ja.  4.  15.  b  Mat.  5.  13 ;  12.  31.  32 ;  Jno. 
15.  6;  c.  10.  2C;  2  Pe.  2.  20,  21;  1  Juo.  5.  10. 

state  eternally  in  heaven,  and  in  like 
manner  the  condemnation  of  the 
wicked  will  fix  their  doom  for  ever 
in  hell.  This  doctrine  was  one  of  the 
earliest  that  was  taught  by  the  Sa- 
viour  and  his  apostles,  and  is  incul- 
cated in  the  New  Testament  perhaps 
with  more  frequency  than  any  other. 
See  Matt.  xxv. ;  Acts  xvii.  31.  That 
the  consequences  or  results  of  the 
judgment  will  be  eternal,  is  abun- 
dantly ailirmed.  See  Matt.  xxv.  46; 
John  V.  29  ;  II.  Thess.  i.  9  ;  Mark  ix. 
45.  48. 

3.  And  this  will  we  do.  We  will 
make  these  advances  towards  a  higher 
state  of  knowledge  and  piety.  Paul 
had  confidence  that  they  would  do  it 
(see  vs.  9,  10),  and  though  they  had 
lingered  long  around  the  elements  of 
Christian  knowledge,  he  believed  that 
they  would  yet  go  on  to  make  higher 
attainments.  If  If  God  permit.  This 
is  not  to  be  interpreted  as  if  God  was 
unwilling  that  they  should  make  such 
advances,  or  as  if  it  were  doubtful 
whether  he  would  allow  it  if  they 
made  an  honest  effort,  and  their  lives 
were  spared ;  but  it  is  a  phrase  used 
to  denote  their  dependence  on  him. 
It  is  equivalent  to  saying, '  if  he  would 
spare  their  lives,  their  health,  and 
their  reason ;  if  he  would  continue 
the  means  of  grace,  and  would  im- 
part his  Holy  Spirit;  if  he  would 
favour  their  efforts  and  crown  them 
with  success,  they  would  make  these 
advances.'  In  reference  to  anything 
that  vi'e  undertake,  however  pleasing 
to  God  in  itself,  it  is  proper  to  recog- 
nise our  entire  dependence  on  God. 
See  James  iv.  13 — 15.  Comp.  Notes 
on  John  xv.  5. 

4.  jFbr  it  is  impossible.  It  is  need- 
less to  say  that  the  passage  here  (vs. 
4 — 6),  has  given  occasion  to  much 
controversy,  and  that  the  opinions  of 
commentators  and  of  the  Christian 
world  are  yet  greatly  divided  in  re- 


those  who  were  once  enlight- 
ened, and  have  tasted  of  the 
heavenly  gift,  and  were  made 
partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


gard  to  its  meaning.  On  the  one 
hand,  it  is  held  that  the  passage  is 
not  intended  to  describe  those  who 
are  true  Christians,  but  only  those 
who  have  been  awakened  and  enlight- 
ened, and  who  then  fall  back  ;  and  oa 
the  other  it  is  maintained  that  it  re- 
fers to  those  who  are  true  Christians, 
and  who  then  apostatise.  The  con- 
tending parties  have  been  Calvinista 
and  Arminians  ;  each  party,  in  gene- 
ral, interpreting  it  according  to  the 
views  wliich  are  held  on  the  question 
about  falling  from  grace.  I  shall 
endeavour,  as  well  as  1  may  be  able, 
to  state  the  true  meaning  of  the  pas- 
sage by  an  examination  of  the  words 
and  phrases  in  detail,  observing  here, 
in  general,  that  it  seems  to  me  that  it 
refers  to  true  Christians  ;  that  the 
object  is  to  keep  them  from  apostasy, 
and  that  it  teachesthat  if  they  should 
apostatize,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
renew  them  again  or  to  save  them. 
That  it  refers  to  true  Christians  will 
be  apparent  from  these  considera- 
tions. (1.)  Such  is  the  sense  which 
would  strike  the  great  mass  of  read- 
ers. Unless  there  were  some  theory 
to  defend,  the  great  body  of  readers 
of  the  New  Testament  would  consider 
the  expression  here  used  as  describing 
true  Christians.  (2.)  The  connexion 
demands  such  an  interpretation.  The 
apostle  was  addressing  Christians. 
He  was  endeavouring  to  keep  them 
from  apostasy.  The  object  was  not 
to  keep  those  who  were  awakened 
and  enliglitened  from  apostasy,  but  it 
was  to  preserve  those  who  were  al- 
ready in  tlie  Church  of  Christ,  from 
o-oing  back  to  perdition.  The  kind 
of  exhortation  appropriate  to  those 
who  were  awakened  and  convicted, 
but  who  were  not  truly  converted, 
would  be  to  become  converted;  not  to 
warn  them  of  the  danger  of  falling 
away.  Besides,  the  apostle  would  not 
have  said  of  such  persons  that  they 


132 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


eovld  not  be  converted  and  saved. 
But  of  sincere  Christians  it  might  be 
naid  with  the  utmost  propriety,  that 
they  could  not  be  renewed  again  and 
be  saved  if  they  sliould  fail  away — 
because  they  rejected  the  only  plan 
of  salvation  after  they  had  tried  it, 
and  renounced  the  only  scheme  of 
redemption  after  they  had  tasted  its 
benefits.  If  that  plan  could  not  save 
them,  what  could?  If  they  neglected 
that,  by  what  other  means  could  they 
be  brought  to  God  ?  (3.)  This  inter- 
pretation accords,  as  I  suppose,  with 
the  exact  meaning  of  the  phrases 
which  the  apostle  uses.  An  examina- 
tion of  those  phrases  will  show  that 
he  refers  to  those  who  are  sincere  be- 
lievers. The  phrase  'it  is  impossible' 
obviously  and  properly  denotes  abso- 
lute impossibility.  It  has  been  con- 
tended, by  Storr  and  others,  that  it 
denotes  only  great  difficulty.  But 
the  meaning  which  would  at  first 
strike  all  readers  would  be  that  tli'e 
thing  could  not  be  done  ;  that  it  was 
not  merely  very  difficult,  but  absolute- 
ly impracticable.  The  word — 'aoviarov 
— occurs  only  in  the  New  Testament 
in  the  following  places,  in  all  which 
it  denotes  that  the  thing  could  not  be 
done.  Matt.  xix.  26;  Mark  x.  27. 
"  With  men  this  is  impossible ;"  that 
is,  men  could  not  save  one  who  was 
rich,  implying  that  the  thing  was 
wholly  beyond  human  power.  Luke 
xviii.  27.  "  The  things  which  are  im- 
possible with  men  are  possible  with 
God"  —  referring  to  the  same  case. 
Acts  xiv.  8.  "A  man  of  Lystra,  impute.nl 
in  his  feet ;"  that  is,  who  was  wholly 
unable  to  walk.  Rom.  viii.  3.  "  For 
what  the  law  could  not  do;"  what  was 
absolutely  impossible  for  the  law  to 
accomplish;  that  is,  to  save  men. 
Hcb.  vi.  18,  "  In  which  it  was  impos. 
sible  for  God  to  lie  ;  Heb.  x.  4,  "  It  is 
not  possible  for  the  blood  of  bulls  and 
of  goats  to  take  awaj'  sin;"  and  Ilcb. 
xi.  6,  "  Without  faith  it  is  impossible 
to  please  God;"  in  all  of  these  in- 
stances denoting  absolute  impossibi- 
lity. These  passages  show  that  it  is 
not  merely  a  great  difficulty  to  which 
the  apostle  refers,  but  that  he  meant 


to  say  that  the  thing  was  wholly  im- 
practicable ;  that  it  could  not  be  done. 
And  if  this  be  the  meaning,  then  it 
proves  that  if  those  referred  to  sliould 
fall  away,  they  could  never  be  re. 
newed.  Their  case  was  hopeless,  and 
they  must  perish  : — that  is,  if  a  true 
Christian  should  apostatize,  or  fall 
from  grace,  he  never  could  be  renewed 
again,  and  could  not  be  saved.  Paul 
did  not  teach  that  he  might  fall  away 
and  be  renewed  ajrain  as  often  as  he 
pleased.  He  had  other  views  of  the 
grace  of  God  than  this ;  and  he  meant 
to  teach,  that  if  a  man  should  once 
cast  off  true  religion,  his  case  was 
hopeless, and  he  must  perish;  and  by 
this  solemn  consideration — the  only 
one  that  would  be  elfectual  in  such  a 
ease — lie  meant  to  guard  thcin  against 
the  danger  of  apostasy.  If  For  those 
who  were  once  enlightened.  The  phrase 
'  to  be  enlightened'  is  one  that  is  often 
used  in  the  Scriptures,  aud  may  be 
applied  either  to  one  whose  under- 
standing has  been  enlightened  to  dis. 
cern  his  duty,  though  he  is  not  con- 
verted (comp.  Note  John  i.  9) ;  or  more 
commonly  to  one  who  is  truly  con- 
verted. See  Note  on  Eph.  i.  18.  It 
does  not  of  necessity  refer  to  tiuts 
Christians,  though  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  it  more  obviously  suggests  the 
idea  that  the  heart  is  truly  cliaiTged, 
and  that  it  is  more  commonly  used  in 
that  sense.  Comp.  Ps.  xix.  8.  Light, 
in  the  Scriptures,  is  the  emblem  of 
knowledge,  holiness,  and  happiness, 
and  there  is  no  impropriety  here  in 
understanding  it  in  accordance  with 
the  more  decisive  phrases  which  fol- 
low, as  referring  to  true  Christians, 
^  And  liave  tasted.  To  taste  of  a 
thing  means,  according  to  the  usage 
in  the  Scriptures,  to  experience,  or  to 
understand  it.  The  expression  is  de- 
rived from  the  fact  that  the  taste  ia 
one  of  the  moans  by  which  we  ascer- 
tain the  nature  or  quality  of  an  object 
Comj).  .Matt.  xvi.  28  ;  John  viii.  51 ; 
Heb.  ii.  9.  Tiie  proper  idea  here  is, 
that  they  had  experienced  the  hea- 
venly gift,  or  had  learned  its  nature. 
If  The  heavenly  gift.  The  gift  from 
heaven,  or  which  pertains  to  heaven. 


A.  D.C4.]  CHAPTER  VI 

5  And  have  tasted  the  good 


ms 


Comp.  Note  John  iv.  10.  The  ex- 
pression properly  means  some  favour 
or  gift  which  has  descended  from  hea- 
ven, and  may  refer  to  any  of  tlie  bene- 
fits which  God  has  conferred  on  man 
in  the  work  of  redemption.  It  mig-ht 
include  the  plan  of  salvation;  the  for- 
giveness of  sins ;  the  enlightening-, 
renewing,  and  sanctifying  influences 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  any  one  of  the 
graces  which  that  spirit  imparts.  Tlie 
use  of  the  article,  however — '  the  hea- 
venly gift,'  —  limits  it  to  something 
special  as  being  conferred  directly 
from  heaven,  and  the  connexion  would 
seem  to  demand  that  we  miderstand 
it  of  some  peculiar  favour  which  could 
be  conferred  only  on  the  children  of 
God.  It  is  an  expression  which  may 
be  applied  to  sincere  Christians ;  it  is 
at  least  doubtful  whether  it  can  with 
propriety  be  applied  to  any  other. 
'^  And  were  made  partakers  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Partakers  of  the  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Ghost — for  it  is 
only  in  this  sense  that  we  can  par- 
take  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  partake 
of  food  when  we  share  it  with  others ; 
we  partake  of  pleasure  when  we  enjoy 
it  with  others  ;  we  partake  of  spoils 
in  war  when  they  are  divided  between 
us  and  others.  So  we  partake  of  the 
influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  when 
we  share  these  influences  conferred 
on  his  people.  This  is  not  language 
which  can  properly  be  applied  to  any 
one  but  a  true  Christian  ;  and  though 
it  is  true  that  an  unpardoned  sinner 
may  be  enlightened  and  awakened 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  yet  the  language 
here  used  is  not  such  as  would  be 
likely  to  be  employed  to  describe  his 
state.  It  is  too  clearly  expressive  of 
those  influences  which  renew  and 
sanctify  the  soul.  It  is  as  elevated 
language  as  can  be  used  to  describe 
the  joy  of  the  Christian,  and  is  un- 
doubtedly used  in  that  sense  here. 
If  it  is  not,  it  would  be  diflicult  to  find 
any  language  which  would  properly 
express  the  condition  of  a  renewed 
12 


word  of  God,  and  the  powers 
of  the  world  to  come. 


heart.  Grotius,  Bloomfield,  and  some 
others,  understood  this  of  the  miracu- 
lous gifls  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But 
this  is  not  necessary,  and  does  not 
accord  well  with  the  general  descrip- 
tion here,  which  evidently  pertains  to 
the  mass  of  those  whom  the  apostle 
addressed. 

5.  And  have  tasted  the  good  word 
of  God.  That  is,  either  the  doctrines 
which  he  teaches,  and  which  are  good, 
or  pleasant  to  the  soul ;  or  the  word 
of  God  which  is  connected  with  good., 
that  is,  which  promises  good.  The 
former  seems  to  me  to  be  the  correct 
meaning — that  the  word  of  God,  or  the 
truth  which  he  taught,  was  itself  a 
good.  It  was  that  which  the  soul 
desired,  and  in  which  it  found  com- 
fort and  peace.  Comp.  Ps.  cxix.  103; 
cxli.  6.  The  meaning  here  is,  that 
they  had  experienced  the  excellency 
of  the  truth  of  God ;  they  had  seen 
and  enjoyed  its  beauty.  This  is 
language  which  cannot  be  applied 
to  an  impenitent  sinner.  He  has  no 
relish  for  the  truth  of  God ;  sees  no 
beauty  in  it ;  derives  no  comfort  from 
it.  It  is  only  the  true  Christian  who 
has  pleasure  in  its  contemplation,  and 
who  can  be  said  to  '  taste'  and  enjoy 
it.  This  language  describes  a  state 
of  mind  of  which  every  sincere  Chris, 
tian  is  conscious.  It  is  that  of  plea- 
sure in  the  word  of  God.  lie  loves 
the  Bible  ;  he  loves  the  truth  of  God 
that  is  preached.  He  sees  an  exqui 
site  beauty  in  that  truth.  It  is  not 
merely  in  its  poetry  ;  in  its  sublimity; 
in  its  argument ;  but  he  has  now  a 
taste  or  relish  for  the  truth  itself, 
which  he  had  not  before  his  convert 
sion.  Then  he  might  have  admired 
the  Bible  for  its  beauty  of  language 
or  for  its  poetry  ;  he  might  have  been 
interested  in  preaching  for  its  elo- 
quence or  power  of  argument;  but 
now  his  love  is  for  the  truth,  Comp. 
Ps.  xix.  10.  There  is  no  book  tiiat 
he  so  much  delights  in  as  the  Bible  ; 
and  no  pleasure  is  so  pure  an  that 


134 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


6  If  "  they  shall  fall  away,  to 

a  Is.  1.  2». 

which  he  lias  in  contemplating  the 
ttulh.  Coinp.  Josh.  x.\i.  45  ;  x.xiii.  15. 
'  And  the  poucers  of  the  world  to  come. 
Or  of  tJie  '  coming  age.'  '  The  age 
to  come'  was  a  phrase  in  common  use 
among  the  Hebrews,  to  denote  the 
future  dispensation,  the  times  of  the 
Messiah.  Tlie  same  idea  was  ex- 
pressed by  the  phrases  '  tiie  last  times,' 
'  the  end  of  the  world,'  &.c.,  which  arc 
of  so  frequent  occurrence  in  the  Scrip, 
turcs.  They  all  denoted  an  age  which 
was  to  succeed  the  old  dispensation  ; 
the  time  of  the  Messiah ;  or  tlie  pe- 
riod in  which  the  atiairs  of  the  world 
would  be  wound  up.  See  Notes  on 
Isa.  ii.  2.  Here  it  evidently  refers  to 
that  {>eriod,  and  the  meaning  is,  that 
they  had  participated  in  the  peculiar 
blessings  to  be  expected  in  that  dis- 
pensation— to  wit,  in  the  clear  views 
of  the  way  of  salvation,  and  the  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  soul. 
The  word  '  powers'  here  implies  that 
in  that  time  there  would  be  some  ex- 
traordinary manifestation  of  the  power 
of  God.  An  unusual  energy  would 
be  put  forth  to  save  men,  particularly 
as  evinced  by  the  agency  of  the  Holy 
Bpirit  on  the  heart.  Of  this  '  power' 
the  apostle  here  says  they  of  whom 
he  spake  had  partaken.  They  had 
been  brought  under  the  awakening 
and  renewing  energy  wliich  God 
put  fortli  under  the  Messiah,  in  sav- 
ing the  soul.  They  had  experienced 
the  promised  blessings  of  the  new  and 
last  dis{)ensation  ;  and  tlie  language 
here  is  such  as  appropriately  describes 
Christians,  and  as  indeed  can  be  ap- 
plicable to  no  other.  It  may  be  re- 
marked respecting  the  various  ex- 
pressions used  here  (vs.  4, 5),  (1.)  that 
tliey  are  such  as  properly  denote  a 
renewed  state.  They  obviously  de- 
Bcribe  the  condition  of  a  Christian  ; 
and  though  it  may  be  not  certain  that 
any  one  of  them  if  taken  by  itself 
would  prone  that  the  jierson  to  whom 
it  was  applied  was  truly  converted, 
yet  taken  together  it  is  clear  that 
they  are  designed  to  describe  such  a 


renew  them  again  unto  repent- 


state.  If  they  are  not,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  any  language  which 
would  be  properly  descriptive  of  the 
character  of  a  sincere  Christian.  I 
regard  tlie  description  here,  therefore, 
as  that  which  is  clearly  designed  to 
denote  the  state  of  those  who  were 
born  again,  and  were  the  true  cliild- 
ren  of  God  ;  and  it  seems  plain  to  me 
that  no  other  interpretation  would 
have  ever  been  thought  of  if  this  view 
had  not  seemed  to  conflict  with  the 
doctrine  of  the  '  perseverance  of  the 
saints.'  (2.)  There  is  a  regular  gra- 
dation here  from  the  first  elements  of 
piety  in  the  soul  to  its  higliest  deve- 
lopements ;  and,  whether  the  apostle 
so  designed  it  or  not,  the  language 
describes  the  successive  steps  by 
which  a  true  Christian  advances  to 
the  highest  stage  of  Christian  e?pe* 
rience.  The  mind  is  (a)  enlightened ; 
then  {b)  tastes  the  gift  of  heaven,  or 
has  some  experience  of  it;  then  (c)  it 
is  made  to  partake  of  the  influences 
of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  then  (d)  there  ia 
experience  of  the  excellence  and  love- 
liness of  the  word  of  God ;  and  (e) 
filially  there  is  a  participation  of  the 
full '  powers'  of  the  new  dispensation  ; 
of  the  extraordinary  energy  which 
God  puts  forth  in  the  gospel  to  sanc- 
tify and  save  the  soul. 

6.  If  they  shall  fall  away.  Literally, 
'  and  having  fallen  away.'  "  There  is 
no  if  in  the  Greek  in  this  place— 
'having  fallen  away"'  Dr.  J.  P. 
Wilson.  It  is  not  an  affirmution  that 
any  had  actually  fallen  away,  or  that 
in  fact  they  would  do  it ;  but  the 
statement  is,  that  on  the  supposition 
that  they  had  fallen  away,  it  would  be 
impossil)le  to  renew  them  again.  It 
is  the  same  as  supposing  a  case 
wliicii  in  fact  might  never  occur  : — 
as  if  we  should  say,  '  had  a  man 
fallen  down  a  precipice  it  would  he 
impossil)lt'  to  save  him,'  or  'had  the 
child  fiUen  into  the  stream  he  would 
certainly  have  been  drowned.'  But 
though  this  literally  means,  'having 
fallen  away,'  yet  the  sense  in  the  con- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


133 


ance ;    seeing   they  crucify    to 
themselves    the    Son    of    God 

nexion  in  which  it  stands  is  not  im- 
properly expressed  by  our  common 
translation.  The  Syraic  has  given  a 
version  which  is  remarkable,  not  as 
a  correct  translation,  but  as  showing 
what  was  the  prevailing  belief  in  the 
lime  in  which  it  was  made,  (probably 
the  first  or  second  century),  in  regard 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  perseverance  of 
the  saints.  "  For  it  is  impossible  that 
they  who  have  been  baptized,  and  who 
have  tasted  the  gift  v^iiich  is  from 
heaven,  and  have  received  the  spirit 
of  holiness,  and  have  tasted  the  good 
word  of  God,  and  the  power  of  the 
coming  age,  should  again  sin,  so  that 
they  should  be  renewed  again  to  re- 
pentance, and  again  crucify  the  Son 
of  God  and  put  him  to  ignominy." 
The  word  rendered  '  fall  away'  means 
properly  '  to  fall  near  by  any  one ;' 
'  to  fall  in  with  or  meet;'  and  thus  to 
fall  aside  from,  to  swerve  or  deviate 
from ;  and  here  means  undoubtedly  to 
apostatize /rom,  and  implies  an  entire 
renunciation  of  Christianity,  or  a 
going  back  to  a  state  of  Judaism, 
heathenism,  or  sin.  The  Greek  word 
occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. It  is  material  to  remark 
here  that  the  apostle  does  not  say 
tliat  any  true  Christian  ever  had  fallen 
away.  He  makes  a  statement  of 
what  would  occur  on  the  supposition 
that  such  a  thing  should  happen — but 
a,  statement  may  be  made  of  what 
would  occur  on  the  supposition  that  a 
certain  thing  should  take  place,  and 
yet  it  be  morally  certain  that  the 
event  never  would  happen.  It  would 
be  easy  to  suppose  what  would  hap- 
pen if  the  ocean  should  overflow  a 
continent,  or  if  the  sun  should  cease 
to  rise,  and  still  there  be  entire  cer- 
tainty that  such  an  event  never  would 
occur.  ^  To  renciv  them  again.  Im- 
plying that  they  had  been  before  re- 
newed, or  had  been  true  Christians. 
The  word  '■again' — itilXiv — supposes 
this ;  and  this  passage,  therefore,  con- 
firms  the    considerations    suggested 


afresh,  and  put  him  to  an  oper 
shame. 


above,  showing  that  they  were  true 
Christians  who  were  referred  to. 
They  had  once  repented,  but  it  would 
be  impossible  to  bring  them  to  this 
state  again.  This  declaration  of 
course  is  to  be  read  in  connexion 
with  the  first  clause  of  ver.  4,  '  It  is 
impossible  to  renew  again  to  repent 
ance  those  who  once  were  true  Chris 
tians,  should  they  fall  away.'  I  know 
of  no  declaration  more  unambiguous 
than  this.  It  is  a  positive  declaration. 
It  is  not  tliat  it  would  be  very  difficult 
to  do  it;  or  that  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  man  to  do  it,  though  it  might 
be  done  by  God  :  it  is  an  unequivocal 
and  absolute  declaration  that  it  would 
be  utterly  impracticable  that  it  should 
be  done  by  any  one,  or  by  any  means ; 
and  this,  I  have  no  doubt,  is  the  mean- 
ing of  the  apostle.  Should  a  Chris- 
tian fall  from  grace,  he  must  perish. 
He  never  could  be  saved.  The  rea- 
son of  this  the  apostle  immediately 
adds.  ^  Seeing.  This  word  is  not 
in  the  Greek,  though  the  sense  is  ex- 
pressed.  The  Greek  literally  is,  '  hav- 
ing again  crucified  to  themselves  the 
Son  of  God.'  The  reason  here  given 
is,  that  the  crime  would  be  so  great, 
and  they  would  so  effectually  exclude 
themselves  from  the  only  plan  of  sal- 
vation, that  they  could  not  be  saved. 
There  is  but  one  way  of  salvation. 
Having  tried  that,  and  then  renounc- 
ed it,  how  could  they  then  be  saved  ? 
The  case  is  like  that  of  a  drowning 
man.  If  there  was  but  one  plank  by 
which  he  could  be  saved,  and  he 
should  get  on  that  and  then  push  it 
away  and  plunge  into  the  deep,  he 
must  die.  Or  if  there  was  but  one 
rope  by  which  the  shore  could  be 
reached  from  a  wreck,  and  he  should 
cut  that  and  cast  it  off,  he  must  die. 
Or  if  a  man  were  sick,  and  there  was 
but  one  kind  of  medicine  tliat  could 
possibly  restore  him,  and  he  should 
deliberately  dash  that  away,  he  must 
die.  So  in  religion.  There  is  but  one 
way  of  salvation.     If  a  man  delibe- 


136 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


rately  rejects  that,  he  must  perish. 
H  They  crurijy  to  ihtmselces  the  Son 
of  God  afresh.  Our  titiiislators  have 
rendered  this   as  if  the  Greek  were 

—  avaaTav^ivvTii  ndXiv — crucify  nfrain, 

and  so  it  is  rendered  by  Clirysostoni, 
by  Tiiidal,  Covcrdalc,  Bcza,  Lutlier, 
and  others.  Hut  this  is  not  properly 
the  meaning-  of  the  Greek.  The  word 
avaarav^oui — is  an  intensive  word,  and 
is  employed  instead  of  the  usual  word 
'  to  crueiiy  only  to  denote  emphasis. 
It  means  tliat  such  an  act  of  apostasy 
would  be  equivalent  to  crucifying  liini 
in  an  ag-rravated  manner.  Of  course 
this  is  to  be  taken  Jigurutivdy.  It 
could  not  be  literally  true  that  they 
would  thus  crucify  the  Redeemer. 
The  meaning  is,  that  their  conduct 
would  he  as  if  they  had  crucified  him ; 
it  would  bear  a  strong  resemblance 
x>  the  act  by  which  tlie  Lord  Jesus 
was  publicly  rejected  and  condemned 
to  die.  The  act  of  crucifying  the  Son 
of  God  was  the  great  crime  which 
outpeers  any  other  deed  of  human 
guilt.  Yet  the  apostle  says  that 
should  they  who  had  been  true  Chris- 
tians fall  away  and  reject  him,  they 
would  be  guilty  of  a  similar  crime. 
It  would  be  a  public  and  solemn  act 
of  rejecting  him.  It  would  show  that 
if  they  had  been  there  they  would 
have  joined  in  the  cry  '  crucify  him, 
crucify  him.'  The  intensity  and  ag- 
gravation  oi' such  a  crime  perhaps  the 
apostle  meant  to  indicate  by  the  in- 
tensive or  emphatic  avd  in  the  word 
avaaravpovvTei.  Such  an  act  would 
render  their  salvation  impossible,  be- 
cause (1)  the  crime  would  be  aggra- 
vated beyond  that  of  tiiose  who  re- 
jected him  and  put  him  to  death — 
for  they  knew  not  what  they  did; 
and  (2),  because  it  would  be  a  rejec- 
tion of  the  only  possible  plan  of  sal- 
vation after  they  had  had  experience 
of  its  power  and  known  its  elficaey. 
The  phrase  'to  themselves,'  Tindal 
renders,  '  as  concerning  tliemselves.' 
Others,  '  as  far  as  in  them  lies,'  or  as 
far  as  they  have  ability  to  do.  Others, 
•  to  their  own  Jieart.'  Probably  Gro- 
tius  has  suggested  the  true  sense. 
'  They  do   it  for   themselves.     Thev 


make  the  act  their  own.  It  is  as  if 
they  did  it  themselves;  and  they  are 
to  be  regarded  as  having  done  the 
deed.'  So  we  make  the  act  of  an- 
other our  own  when  we  authorize  it 
beforehand,  or  approve  of  it  afler  it 
is  done.  If  And  put  him  to  an  open 
shame.  Make  fiim  a  public  example; 
or  hold  him  up  as  worthy  of  death  on 
the  cross.  Sec  the  same  word  ex- 
plained in  the  Notes  on  ^latt.  i.  19, 
in  the  phrase  'make  her  a  public  ex- 
ample.' The  word  occurs  nowhere 
else  in  the  New  Testament.  Their 
apostasy  and  rejection  of  the  Saviour 
would  be  like  holding  him  up  publicly 
as  deserving  the  infamy  and  ignominy 
of  tlie  cross.  A  great  part  of  the 
crime  attending  the  crucifixion  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  consisted  in  exhibiting 
him  to  the  passing  multitude  as  de- 
serving  the  death  of  a  malefactor. 
Of  that  sin  they  would  partake  who 
should  reject  him,  for  they  would 
thus  show  that  they  regarded  his  re- 
ligion as  an  imposture,  and  would  iii 
a  public  manner  hold  him  up  as  wor- 
thy  only,  of  rejection  and  contempt. 
Such,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  fair 
meaning  of  this  much-disputed  pas- 
sage— a  passage  which  would  never 
have  given  so  much  perplexity  if  it 
had  not  been  supposed  that  the  obvi- 
ous interpretation  would  interfere 
with  some  prevalent  articles  of  the- 
ology. The  passage  proves  that  if 
true  Christians  should  apostatize,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  renew  and 
save  them.  If  then  it  should  be  asked 
whether  I  believe  that  any  true  Chris- 
tian ever  did,  or  ever  will  fall  from 
grace,  and  wholly  lose  his  religion, 
I  would  answer  unhesitatingly,  no. 
Comp.  Notes  on  John  x.  27,  28 ;  Rom. 
viii.  38,  3S) ;  Gal.  v.  4.  If  then  it  be 
asked  what  was  the  use  of  a  warning 
like  tiiis,  I  answer,  (1.)  it  would  show 
the  great  sin  of  apostasy  from  God  if 
it  were  to  occur.  It  is  proper  to  state 
the  greatness  of  an  act  of  sin,  though 
it  might  never  occur,  in  order  to 
show  how  it  would  be  regarded  by 
God.  (2.)  Such  a  statement  might 
be  one  of  the  most  effectual  mean* 
of    preserving    from    apostasy.      T« 


4.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


137 


7  For  the  earth  which  drink- 
eth  in  the  rain  that  cometh  oft 
upon    it,    and    bringeth    forth 


state  that  a  fall  from  a  precipice 
would  cause  certain  death,  would  be 
one  of  the  most  certain  means  of  pre- 
serving one  from  falling ;  to  affirm 
that  arsenic  would  be  certainly  fatal, 
is  one  of  the  most  effectual  means  of 
preventing  its  being  taken  ;  to  know 
that  fire  certainly  destroys,  is  one  of 
the  most  sure  checks  from  the  danger. 
Thousands  have  been  preserved  from 
going  over  the  Falls  of  Niagara  by 
knowing  that  there  would  be  no  pos- 
sibility of  escape ;  and  so  effectual 
has  been  this  knowledge  that  it  has 
preserved  all  from  such  a  catastrophe, 
except  the  very  few  who  have  gone 
over  by  accident.  So  in  religion. 
The  knowledge  that  apostasy  would 
be  fatal,  and  there  could  be  no  hope 
of  being  saved  should  it  once  occur, 
would  be  a  more  effectual  preventive 
of  the  danger  than  all  the  other  means 
that  could  be  used.  If  a  man  believed 
that  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  be 
restored  again  should  he  apostatize, 
he  would  feel  little  solicitude  in  re- 
gard to  it;  and  it  has  occurred  in 
fact,  that  they  who  suppose  that  this 
may  occur,  have  manifested  little  of 
the  care  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  strict 
religion,  which  should  have  been 
evinced.  (3.)  It  may  be  added,  that 
the  means  used  by  God  to  preserve 
his  people  from  apostasy,  have  been 
entirely  effectual.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence that  one  has  ever  fallen  away 
who  was  a  true  Christian,  (Comp. 
John  X.  27,  28,  and  I.  John  ii.  19) ; 
and  to  the  end  of  the  world  it  will  be 
true  that  the  means  which  he  uses  to 
keep  his  people  from  apostasy  will 
not  in  a  single  instance  fail. 

7.  For  the  earth.  The  design  of 
the  apostle  by  this  comparison  is  ap- 
paient.  It  is  to  show  the  consequen- 
ces of  not  making  a  proper  use  of  all 
the  privileges  which  Christians  have, 
and  the  effect  which  would  follow 
should  those  privileges  fail  to  be  ini- 
12* 


herbs  meet  for  them '  by  whom 
it  is  dressed,  receiveth  blessing" 
from  God : 


1  or,  for. 


a  Ps.  65.  10. 


proved.  He  says,  it  is  like  the  earth. 
If  that  absorbs  the  rain,  and  produces 
an  abundant  harvest,  it  receives  the 
divine  blessing.  If  not,  it  is  cursed, 
or  is  worthless.  The  design  is  to 
show  that  if  Christians  should  be- 
come like  the  barren  earth  they 
would  be  cast  away  and  lost.  IT  Which 
drinketh  in  the  rain.  A  comparison 
of  the  earth  as  if  it  were  '  thirsty' — 
a  comparison  that  is  common  in  all 
languages.  IT  That  cometh  oft  upon  it. 
Tiie  frequent  showers  that  fall.  The 
object  is  to  describe  fertile  land  which 
is  often  watered  with  the  rains  of 
heaven.  The  comparison  of  'drink- 
ing in'  the  rain  is  designed  to  distin- 
guish a  mellow  soil  which  receives 
the  rain,  from  hard  or  rocky  land 
where  it  runs  off.  ^  And  bringeth 
forth  herbs.  The  word  herbs  we  now 
limit  in  common  discourse  to  the 
small  vegetables  which  die  every 
year,  and  which  are  used  as  articles 
of  food,  or  to  such  in  general  as  have 
not  ligneous  or  hard  woody  stems. 
The  word  here  means  anything  which 
is  cultivated  in  the  earth  as  an  article 
of  food,  and  includes  all  kinds  of 
grains.  ^  Meet  for  them.  Useful  or 
appropriate  to  them.  IT  By  whom  it 
is  dressed.  Marg.  '■for  whom.'  The 
meaning  is,  on  account  of  whom  it  is 
cultivated.  The  word  '  dressed'  h<-re 
means  cultivated.  Comp.  Gen.  ii.  15. 
^  Receiveth  blessing  from  God.  Re. 
ceives  the  divincapprobation.  It  is  in 
accordance  with  his  wishes  and  plans, 
and  he  smiles  upon  it  and  blesses  it. 
He  does  not  curse  it  as  he  does  the 
desolate  and  barren  soil.  The  Ian. 
guage  is  figurative,  and  must  be  used 
to  denote  tliat  wliich  is  an  object  of 
the  divine  favour.  God  deliglits  in 
the  harvests  which  the  earth  brings 
forth;  in  the  effects  of  dews  and  rains 
and  suns  in  causing  beauty  and  abun- 
dance ;  and  on  such  fields  of  lieauty 
and  plenty  he  looks  down  witli  pica. 


138 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


8  But  that  which  beareth 
thorns"  and  briars  is  rejected, 

a  Is.  5, 6. 

sure.  This  does  not  mean,  as  I  sup- 
pose, that  he  renders  it  7nore  fertile 
and  abundant,  for  (1)  it  cannot  be 
shown  that  it  is  true  that  God  thus 
rewards  the  eartli  for  its  fcrtiUty ; 
and  (2),  such  an  interpretation  would 
not  accord  well  with  the  scope  of  the 
passage.  The  design  is  to  show  that 
a  Christian  who  makes  proper  use  of 
the  means  of  growing  in  grace  which 
God  bestows  upon  him,  and  wlio  does 
not  apostatize,  meets  with  the  divine 
favour  and  approbation.  His  course 
accords  with  the  divine  intention  and 
wishes,  and  he  is  a  man  on  whom 
God  will  smile  —  as  he  seems  to  on 
the  fertile  earth. 

8.  But  that  which  beareth  thorns 
and  briars  is  rejected.  That  is,  by 
the  farmer  or  owner.  It  is  abandoned 
as  worthless.  The  force  of  the  com- 
parison here  is,  that  God  would  thus 
deal  witli  those  who  professed  to  be 
renewed  if  they  should  be  like  such 
a  worthless  field.  IT  And  is  nigh  unto 
cursing.  Is  given  over  to  execration, 
or  is  abandoned  as  useless.  The  word 
cursing  means  devoting  to  destruc- 
tion. The  sense  is  not  that  the  owner 
would  curse  it  in  words,  or  imprecate 
a  curse  on  it,  as  a  man  does  who  uses 
profane  language,  but  the  language 
is  taken  here  from  the  more  common 
use  of  the  word  curse — as  meaning 
to  devote  to  destruction.  So  the  land 
would  be  regarded  by  the  farmer.  It 
would  be  valueless,  and  would  be  given 
up  to  be  overrun  witli  fire.  IT  Whose 
end  is  to  be  burned.  Referring  to  tlie 
land.  The  allusion  here  is  to  the 
common  practice  among  the  Oriental 
and  Roman  agriculturists  of  burning 
bad  and  barren  lands.  An  illustration 
of  this  is  afforded  by  Pliny.  "There 
are  some  wlio  burn  tlie  stubble  on  the 
field,  chicHy  upon  the  authority  of 
Virgil :  the  principal  reason  for  which 
is,  that  they  may  burn  the  seeds  of 
weeds."  Nat.  Ilist.  .wiii.  30.  The 
authority  of  Virgil,  to  which   Pliny 


and  i«  nigh  unto  cursing;  whose 
end  14  to  he  burned. 


refers,  may  be  fbimd  in  Georg.  i. 
S4. 

"Sspc  etiam    steriles   incendere    profuit 
agros, 
Atiiue  levem  ^tipulam  crepitantibus  urero 
flaiiiinis." 

'  It  is  otlen  useful  to  set  fire  to  barren 
lands,  and  burn  the  light  stubble  in 
crackling  flames.'  The  object  of  burn- 
ing land  in  this  way  was  to  render  it 
available  for  useful  purposes ;  or  to 
destroy  noxious  weeds,  and  thorns, 
and  underbrush.  But  the  object  of 
the  apostle  requires  him  to  refer  mere- 
ly to  the  fact  of  the  burning,  and  to 
niake  use  of  it  as  an  illustration  of 
an  act  of  punishment.  So,  Paul  says, 
it  would  be  in  the  dealings  of  God 
with  his  people.  If  after  all  attempts 
to  secure  holy  living,  and  to  keep 
them  in  the  paths  of  salvation,  they 
should  evince  none  of  the  spirit  of 
piety,  all  that  could  be  done  would  be 
to  abandon  them  to  destruction  as 
such  a  field  is  overrun  with  fire.  It 
is  not  supposed  that  a  true  Christian 
will  fall  away  and  be  lost,  but  we  may 
remark  (1.)  tliat  there  are  many  pro- 
fessed Christians  who  seem  to  be  in 
danger  of  such  ruin.  They  resist  all 
attempts  to  produce  in  them  the  fruits 
of  good  living  as  really  as  some  pieces 
of  ground  do  to  secure  a  harvest 
Corrupt  desires,  pride,  envy,  unchari- 
tablcness,  covetousness,  and  vanity 
are  as  certainly  seen  in  their  lives  as 
thorns  and  briars  are  on  a  bad  soil. 
Such  briars  and  thorns  you  may  cut 
down  again  and  again ;  you  may 
strike  the  plough  deep  and  seem  to 
tear  away  all  thtir  roots  ;  you  may 
sow  the  ground  with  the  choicest 
grain,  but  soon  the  briars  and  the 
thorns  will  again  appear,  and  be  as 
troublesome  as  ever.  No  pains  will 
subdue  tiiem,  or  secure  a  harvest.  So 
with  niany  a  pro'.essed  Christian.  He 
may  be  taught,  admonished,  rebuked, 
and  atHictcd,  but  all  will  not  do. 
There  is  essential  and  unsubdued  per . 


A.  D.  61.  J 


CHAPTER  VI. 


i8i» 


9  But,  beloved,  we  are  per- 
suaded bettei  things  of  you, 
and  things  that  accompany  sal- 
vation, though  we  thus  speak. 

10  For  "  God  is  not  unright- 

a  Matt.  25.  40. 

verseness  in  his  soul,  and  despite  all 
the  attempts  to  make  hira  a  holy  man, 
the  same  bad  passions  are  continually 
breaking  out  anew.  (2.)  Such  pro- 
fessing Christians  are '  nigh  unto  curs- 
ing.' They  are  about  to  be  abandon- 
ed for  ever.  Unsanctified  and  wicked 
in  their  hearts,  there  is  nothing  else 
whicli  can  be  done  for  them,  and  they 
must  be  lost !  What  a  thought !  A 
professing  Christian  '  nigh  unto  curs- 
ing /'  A  man,  the  efforts  for  whose 
salvation  are  about  to  cease  for  ever, 
and  who  is  to  be  given  over  as  incor- 
rigible and  hopeless !  For  such  a 
man — in  the  church  or  out  of  it — we 
should  have  compassion.  We  have 
some  compassion  for  an  ox  which  is  so 
stubborn  that  he  will  not  work — and 
which  is  to  be  put  to  death  ;  for  a 
horse  which  is  so  fractious  that  he  can- 
not be  broken,  and  which  is  to  be  kil- 
led ;  for  cattle  which  are  so  unruly  that 
they  cannot  be  restrained,  and  which 
are  only  to  be  fattened  for  the  slaugh- 
ter ;  and  even  for  a  field  which  is  deso- 
late and  barren,  and  which  is  given  up 
to  be  overrun  with  briars  and  thorns ; 
but  how  much  more  should  we  pity  a 
man  all  the  efforts  for  whose  salvation 
fail,  and  who  is  soon  to  be  abandoned 
to  everlasting  destruction ! 

9.  But,  beloved,  we  are  persuaded 
better  things.  We  confidently  hope 
for  better  things  respecting  you.  We 
trust  that  you  are  true  Christians ; 
that  you  will  produce  the  proper  fruits 
of  holiness ;  that  you  will  be  saved. 
If  Things  that  accompany  salvation. 
Things  that  pertain  to  salvation.  The 
Greek  phrase  here  means,  '  near  to 
salvation,'  or  things  that  are  conjoin- 
ed with  salvation.  So  Coverdale  ren- 
ders it,  '  u.id  that  salvation  is  nigher.' 
Tlie  form  of  expression  seems  to  refer 
to  what  was  said  in  ver.  8.  The  land 
overrun  with  briars  was  nigh  to  curs- 


eous  to  forget  your  work  and 
labour  of  love,  which  ye  have 
showed  toward  his  name,  in  that 
ye  have  ministered  to  the  saints, 
and  do  minister. 


ing ;  the  things  which  Paul  saw  in 
them  were  nigh  to  salvation.  From 
this  verse  it  is  evident  (1)  that  the 
apostle  regarded  them  as  sincere 
Christians ;  and  (2)  that  he  believed 
they  would  not  fall  away.  Though 
he  had  stated  what  must  be  the  inevi- 
table consequence  if  Christians  should 
apostatize,  yet  he  says  that  in  their 
case  he  had  a  firm  conviction  that  it 
would  not  occur.  There  is  no  incon- 
sistency in  this.  We  may  be  certain 
that  if  a  man  should  take  arsenic  it 
would  kill  him  ;  and  yet  we  may  havo 
the  fullest  conviction  that  he  will  not 
do  it.  Is  not  this  verse  a  clear  proof 
that  Paul  felt  that  it  was  certain  tliat 
true  Christians  would  never  fall  away 
and  be  lost  ?  If  he  supposed  that  they 
might,  how  could  he  be  persuaded 
that  it  would  not  happen  to  them  ? 
Why  not  to  them  as  well  as  to  others  ? 
Learn  hence,  that  while  we  assure 
men  that  if  tliey  should  fall  away 
they  would  certainly  perish,  we  may 
nevertheless  address  them  with  the  full 
persuasion  that  they  will  be  saved. 

10.  For  God  is  not  unrighteous, 
God  will  do  no  wrong.  He  will  not 
forget  or  fail  to  reward  the  endeavours 
of  his  people  to  promote  his  glory, 
and  to  do  good.  The  meaning  here 
is,  that  by  their  kindness  in  minister- 
ing to  the  wants  of  the  saints,  they 
had  given  full  evidence  of  true  piety. 
If  God  should  forget  that,  it  would 
be  'unrighteous,'  (I)  because  there 
was  a  propriety  that  it  should  be  re- 
membered ;  and  (2)  because  it  is  ex- 
pressly promised  that  it  shall  not  fail 
of  reward.  Matt.  x.  42.  IT  Your  work. 
Particularly  in  ministering  to  the 
wants  of  the  saints.  IT  Labour  of  love. 
Deeds  of  benevolence  when  tliere  was 
no  hope  of  recompense,  or  when  love 
was  the  motive  in  doing  it.  IT  Which 
ye  have  showed  toward  his  name.   To- 


140 


HEBREWS. 


1  A.  D.  64. 


11   And  we  desire  that  every 
one  of  yoLi  do  show  the  same 

u  c.  :<.  6,    4.        ft  Pr.  15. 19  ;  2  Pe.  1.  10, 


ward  him — for  the  word  name  is  often 
used  to  denote  the  person  himself. 
They  had  showed  that  they  loved  God 
by  their  kiiidiiet^s  to  his  people.  Matt. 
XXV.  40.  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done 
it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
brelliren,  yc  have  done  it  unto  me." 
IT  jii  that  ye  have  vnnistered  to  the 
saints.  You  have  supplied  their  wants. 
This  may  refer  either  to  the  fact  that 
tliuy  contributed  to  supply  the  wants 
ol  the  poor  members  of  the  church 
(comp.  Note  Gal.  ii.  10).  or  it  may  re- 
fer to  some  special  acts  of  kindness 
wliich  they  liad  shown  to  suffering 
and  persecuted  Clinstians.  It  is  not 
possible  now  to  know  to  what  partic- 
ular acts  the  apostle  refers.  We  may 
learn' (1.)  that  to  show  kindness  to 
Christians,  because  they  are  Chris- 
tians, is  an  important  evidence  of 
piety.  (2.)  It  will  in  no  case  be  mi- 
rewardcd.  God  is  not  'unju.^it;'  and 
he  will  remember  an  act  of  kindness 
shown  to  his  people — even  tiiough  it 
be  nothing  but  giving  a  cup  of  cold 
water. 

11.  And  toe  desire  that  every  one 
of  you.  We  wish  that  every  member 
of  the  church  should  exhibit  the  same 
endeavour  to  do  good  until  they  at- 
tain to  the  full  assurance  of  hope.  It 
is  implied  here  that  the  full  assurance 
of  hope  is  to  be  obtained  by  a  perse- 
vering effort  to  lead  a  holy  life.  If  The 
same  diligence.  The  same  strenuous 
endeavour,  the  same  ardour  and  zeal. 
IT  To  the  full  assurance  of  hope.  In 
order  to  obtain  the  full  assurance  of 
hope.  The  word  rendered  '  full  assu- 
rance,' means  firm  persuasion,  and 
refers  to  a  state  of  mind  where  tliere 
is  the  fullest  conviction,  or  where  there 
is  no  doubt.  See  Coll.  ii.  2  ;  I.  Thess. 
i.  5 ;  Heb.  x.  22 ;  comp.  Luke  i.  I ; 
Rom.  iv.  21  ;  xiv.  5  ;  II.  Tim.  iv.  5.  17, 
where  tlie  same  word,  in  different 
forms,  occurs.  Hope  is  a  compound 
emotion  (Notes  Eph.  ii.  12),  made  up 
of  an  earnest  desire  for  an  object,  and 


diligence  to  the  "  full  a.ssurance 
of  liope  unto  the  end : 

12  That  ye  be  not  slothful* 

a  corresponding  expectation  of  obtain- 
ing it.  The  hope  of  heaven  is  made 
up  of  an  earnest  wish  to  reach  hea- 
ven, and  a  corresponding  expectation 
of  it,  or  reason  to  believe  that  it  will  be 
ours.  The  full  assurance  of  that  hope 
exists  where  there  is  the  highest  de- 
sire of  heaven,  and  such  corresponding 
evidence  of  personal  piety  as  to  leave 
no  doubt  that  it  will  be  ours.  IT  To 
the  end.  To  the  end  of  life.  The  apos- 
tle wished  that  they  would  persevere 
in  such  acts  of  piety  to  the  end  of 
their  course,  as  to  have  their  hope 
of  heaven  fully  established,  and  to 
leave  no  doubt  on  the  mind  that  they 
were  sincere  Christians.  Learn  hence 
(1.)  that  full  assurance  of  hope  is  to  be 
obtained  only  by  holy  living.  (2.)  It 
is  only  when  that  is  persevered  in 
that  it  can  be  obtained.  (3.)  It  is  not 
by  visions  and  raptures ;  by  dreams 
and  revelations  that  it  can  now  be 
acquired,  for  God  imparts  no  such  di- 
rect revelation  now.  (4.)  It  is  usually 
only  as  the  result  of  a  life  of  consis- 
tent piety  that  such  an  assurance  is 
to  be  obtained.  No  man  can  have  it 
who  does  not  persevere  in  holy  living, 
and  they  who  do  obtain  it  usually 
secure  it  only  near  the  end  of  a  life 
of  eminent  devotedness  to  God.  God 
could  impart  it  at  once  when  the  soul 
is  converted  ;  but  such  is  the  tendency 
of  man  to  indolence  and  sloth  tiiat 
even  good  men  would  then  relax  their 
efforts,  and  sit  down  contented,  feel- 
ing til, it  they  had  now  the  undoubted 
prospect  of  heaven.  As  it  is,  it  is 
lield  out  as  a  prize  to  be  won — as  that 
whose  acquisition  is  to  cheer  us  iu 
our  old  age,  when  the  warfare  is  over, 
and  wlicn  amidst  the  infirmities  of 
years,  and  in  the  near  prospect  of 
death,  we  need  special  consolatiod. 
Comp.  II.  Tim.  iv.  6,  7. 

12.  That  ye  be  nut  slothful.  Indo- 
lent; inactive.  This  was  wiiat  he  waa 
especially  desirous  of  guarding  them 
against.     By  diligent  and  strenuoua 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


141 


but  followers  of  them  who 
through  faith  and  patience  in- 
herit the  promises. 

13  For  when  God  made  pro- 
mise to  Abraham,  because  he 
could  swear  by  no  greater,  he 
sware  by  himself, 

effort  only  could  they  secure  them- 
selves from  the  danger  of  apostasy. 
IT  But  followers.  Imitators — that  you 
may  live  as'  they  lived.  IT  Of  them 
who  through  faith  and  patience.  By 
faith,  or  confidence  in  God,  and  by 
patience  in  suffering  —  referring  to 
those  who  in  times  of  trial  had  re- 
mained faithful  to  God,  and  had  been 
admitted  to  heaven.  In  ch.  xi.  the 
apostle  has  given  a  long  list  of  such 
persevering  and  faithliil  friends  of 
God.  See  Notes  on  that  chapter. 
^  The  promise.  The  promise  of  heaven. 
13.  For  when  God  made  promise  to 
Ahraham.  That  he  would  bless  him, 
and  multiply  his  seed  as  the  stars  of 
heaven.  Gen.  xxii.  16, 17.  The  object 
of  introducing  this  example  here  is,  to 
encourage  those  to  whom  the  apostle 
was  writing  to  persevere  in  the  Chris- 
tian life.  This  he  does  by  showing 
that  God  had  given  the  highest  pos- 
sible assurance  of  his  purpose  to  bless 
his  people,  by  an  oath.  Reference  is 
made  to  Abraham  in  this  argument, 
probably,  for  two  reasons.  (1.)  To 
show  the  nature  of  the  evidence  which 
Christians  have  that  they  will  be 
saved,  or  the  ground  of  encourage- 
ment— being  the  same  as  that  made 
to  Abraham,  and  depending,  as  in 
his  case,  on  the  promise  of  God ;  and 
(2.)  because  the  example  of  Abraham 
was  just  in  point.  He  had  persevered. 
He  had  relied  firmly  and  solely  on  the 
promise  of  God.  He  did  this  when 
appearances  were  much  against  the 
fiilfilment  of  the  promise,  and  he  thus 
showed  the  advantage  of  perseverance 
and  fidelity  in  the  cause  of  God. 
If  Because  he  could  swear  by  no  greater. 
There  is  no  being  greater  than  God. 
In  taking  an  oath  among  men  it  is 
always  implied  that  the  appeal  is  to 
one  of  superior  power,  who  is  able  ♦.o 


14  Saying,"  Surely  blessing 
I  will  bless  thee,  and  multiply- 
ing I  will  multiply  thee. 

15  And  so,  after  he  had  pa- 
tiently endured,  he  obtained  the 
promise. 

a  Ge.  2-2.  16,  17. 

punish  for  its  infraction.  But  (hia 
could  not  occur  in  the  case  of  God 
himself.  There  was  no  greater  being 
than  himself,  and  the  oath,  therefore, 
was  by  his  own  existence.  IT  He  sware 
by  himself.  Gen.  xxii.  1 6.  "  By  my- 
self have  I  sworn."  Comp.  Isa.  xlv. 
23.  In  an  oath  of  this  kind  God 
pledges  his  veracity  ;  declares  that  the 
event  shall  be  as  certain  as  his  exist- 
ence ;  and  secures  it  by  all  the  per- 
fections of  his  nature.  The  usual 
form  of  the  oath  is,  "  As  I  live,  saith 
the  Lord."  See  Num.  xiv.  21.  28; 
Ezek.  xxxiii.  11. 

14.  Saying,  Surely  blessing  I  icill 
bless  thee.  That  is,  I  will  certainly 
bless  thee.  The  phrase  is  a  Hebrew 
mode  of  expression,  to  denote  empha- 
sis or  certainty  —  indicated  by  the  , 
repetition  of  a  word.  Comp.  Gen.  xiv. 
10  ;  Ex.  viii.  10  ;  Joel  iv.  14  ;  Judges 

V.  30 ;  XV.  16.  IT  Multiplying  I  will 
multiply  thee.  I  will  greatly  increase 
thee  —  I  will  grant  thee  an  exceed- 
ingly numerous  posterity. 

15.  And  so,  after  he  had  patiently 
endured.  After  he  had  waited  for  a 
long  time.  He  did  not  faint  or  grow 
weary,  but  he  persevered  in  a  con 
fident  expectation  of  the  fulfilment  of 
what  God  had  so  solemnly  promised. 
IT  He  obtained  the  promise.  Evidently 
the  promise  referred  to  in  the  oath — 
that  he  would  have  a  numerous  pos- 
terity. The  apostle  intimates  that  he 
had  waited  for  that  a  long  time ;  that 
his  faith  did  not  waver,  and  that  in 
due  season  the  object  of  his  wishes 
was  granted.  To  see  the  force  of  this, 
we  are  to  remember  (1.)  that  when 
he  was  called  by  God  from  Haran, 
and  when  the  promise  of  a  numerous 
posterity  was  made  to  him,  he  was 
seventy-five  years  old.  Gen.  xii.  1 — 5. 
(2.)  Twenty-four  years  elapsed  after 


143 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


16  For  men  verily  swear  by 
the  greater  :  and  an  oath "  for 
confirmation  is  to  thcin  an  end 
of  all  strife. 

17  Wherein    God,    willing 

•  Ex.  22.  11.  6Ro.  8.  17.  c.  11.9. 


this,  during  which  he  was  a.  sojourner 
in  a  strange  land,  before  the  manner 
in  wliich  this  promise  would  be  ful- 
filled was  made  known  to  him.  Gen. 
xvii.  1 — 16.  (3.)  It  was  only  when 
he  was  an  hundred  years  old,  and 
when  he  had  persevered  in  the  belief 
of  the  truth  of  the  promise  against 
all  the  natural  improbabilities  of  its 
accomplishment,  tliat  he  received  the 
pledge  of  its  fulfilment  in  the  birth 
of  his  son  Isaac.  Gen.  .xxi.  ] — 5. 
(4.)  The  birth  of  that  son  was  a  pledge 
that  the  other  blessings  implied  in 
the  promise  would  be  granted,  and 
in  that  pledge  Abraham  may  be  said 
to  have  '  received  the  promise.'  He 
did  not  actually  sec  the  numerous 
posterity  of  which  he  was  to  be  the 
honoured  ancestor,  nor  the  Messiah 
who  was  to  descend  from  him,  nor 
*  the  happy  influences  which  would 
result  to  mankind  from  the  fulfilment 
of  the  promise.  But  he  saw  the  cer- 
tainty that  all  this  would  occur ;  he 
saw  by  faith  the  Messiah  in  the  dis- 
tance (John  viii.  56),  and  the  nume- 
rous blessings  which  would  result 
from  his  coming.  It  was  a  remark- 
able instance  of  faith,  and  one  well 
fitted  to  the  purpose  of  the  apostle. 
It  would  furni.sh  ample  encourage- 
ment to  the  Christians  to  whom  he 
wrote,  to  persevere  in  their  course, 
and  to  avoid  the  dangers  of  apostasy. 
If  Abraham  persevered  when  appear, 
ances  were  so  much  against  the  ful- 
filment of  what  had  been  promised, 
then  Christians  should  persevere  un- 
der the  clearer  liij^lit  and  with  the 
more  distinct  promises  of  the  gospel. 
16,  For  men  verily  swear  by  the 
greater.  That  is,  they  appeal  to  God. 
They  never  swear  by  one  who  is  infe- 
rior to  themselves.  Tiie  object  of  the 
apostle  in  this  declaration  is  to  show 
that  as  far  as  this  could  be  done  it 


more  abundantly  to  show  unto 
the  heirs*  of  promise  the  im- 
mutability '  of  his  counsel,  con- 
firmed '  it  by  an  oath ; 


c  Ro.  11.29. 

I  interposed  himself. 


had  been  by  God.  He  could  not  in- 
deed  swear  by  one  greater  than  him- 
self,  but  he  could  make  his  promise 
as  certain  as  an  oath  taken  by  men 
was  when  they  solemnlyap{)ealed  to 
Him.  He  could  appeal  to  his  own 
existence  and  veracity,  which  was  at 
any  time  the  most  solemn  form  of  an 
oath,  and  thus  put  the  mind  to  rest  in 
regard  to  the  hope  of  heaven.  ^  And 
an  oath  for  confirmation.  An  oath 
taken  to  confirm  or  establish  anytliing. 
T  Is  to  them  an  end  of  all  strife.  That 
is,  when  two  parties  are  at  variance, 
or  have  a  cause  at  issue,  an  oath  binds 
them  to  adhere  to  the  terms  of  agree- 
ment concluded  on,  or  contracting 
parties  bind  themselves  bj'  a  solemn 
oath  to  adhere  to  the  conditions  of  an 
agreement,  and  this  puts  an  end  to 
all  strife.  They  rest  satisfied  when  a 
solemn  oath  has  been  taken,  and  they 
feel  assured  that  the  agreement  will 
be  complied  with.  Or  it  may  refer 
to  cases  where  a  man  was  accused  of 
wrong  before  a  court,  and  where  ho 
took  a  solemn  oath  that  the  thing  had 
not  been  done,  and  his  oath  was  ad- 
mitted to  be  sufficient  to  put  an  end 
to  the  controversy.  The  general  mean- 
ing  is  clear,  that  in  disputes  between 
man  and  man,  an  appeal  was  made 
to  an  oath,  and  that  was  allowed  to 
settle  it.  The  connexion  here  is,  that 
as  far  as  the  case  would  admit  of,  the 
same  thing  was  done  by  God.  His 
oath  by  himself  made  his  promise 
firm. 

1 7.  Wherein  God.  On  account  of 
which ;  or  since  an  oath  had  this  ef- 
fect, God  was  willing  to  appeal  to  it 
in  order  fo  as-iure  his  peojilo  of  sal- 
vation. ^  Willinir  more  abundantly. 
In  the  most  abundant  manner,  or  to 
make  the  case  as  sure  as  possible.  It 
does  not  mean  more  abundantly  than 
in  the  case  of  Abraham,  but  that  ho 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


143 


18  That  by  two  immutable 
things,  in  which  it  was  impos- 
sible for  God  to"  lie,  we  might 


a  Tit.  1,  2. 


was  willing  to  give  the  most  ample 
assurance  possible.  Coverdale  ren- 
ders it,  correctly,  "  very  abundantly." 
t  The  heiis  of  promise.  The  heirs 
to  whom  the  promise  of  life  pertained ; 
that  is,  all  who  were  interested  in  the 
promises  made  to  Abraham  —  thus 
embracing  the  heirs  of  salvation  now. 
IT  The  immutability  of  his  counsel. 
His  fixed  purpose.  He  meant  to  show 
in  the  most  solemn  manner  that  his 
purpose  would  not  change.  The  plans 
of  God  never  change ;  and  all  the 
hope  which  vfre  can  have  of  heaven 
is  founded  on  the  fact  that  his  pur- 
pose is- immutable.  If  he  changed 
his  plans ;  if  he  was  controlled  by 
caprice  ;  if  he  willed  one  thing  to-day 
and  another  thing  to-morrow,  who 
could  confide  in  him,  or  who  would 
have  any  hope  of  heaven  ?  No  one 
would  know  what  to  expect ;  and  no 
one  could  put  confidence  in  him.  The 
farmer  ploughs  and  sows  because  he 
believes  that  the  laws  of  nature  are 
settled  and  fixed ;  the  mariner  ven- 
tures into  unknown  seas  because  the 
needle  points  in  one  direction ;  we 
plant  an  apple-tree  because  we  be- 
lieve it  will  produce  apples,  a  peach 
because  it  will  produce  peaches,  a 
pear  because  it  will  produce  a  pear. 
But  suppose  there  were  no  settled 
laws,  that  all  was  governed  by  ca- 
price ;  who  would  know  what  to  plant  ? 
Who  then  would  plant  anything  ?  So 
in  religion.  If  there  were  nothing 
fixed  and  settled,  who  would  know 
what  to  do  ?  If  God  should  change 
his  plans  by  caprice,  and  save  one 
man  by  faith  to-day  and  condemn  an- 
other for  the  same  faith  to-morrow ; 
or  if  he  should  pardon  a  man  to-day 
and  withdraw  the  pardon  to-morrow, 
what  security  could  we  have  of  sal- 
vation ?  How  gratefiil,  therefore, 
should  we  be  that  God  has  an  immu- 
iable  counsel,  and  that  this  is  confirm- 
ed by  a  solemn  oath !     No  one  could 


have  a  strong  consolation,  who 
have  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold 
upon  the  hope  set  before  us : 


b  1  Ti.  6.  12. 


honour  a  God  that  had  not  such  an 
immutabilitj'  of  purpose  ;  and  all  the 
hope  which  man  can  have  of  heaven 
is  in  the  fact  that  He  is  unchanging. 
H  Covjirmed  it  by  an  oath.  Marg. 
Interposed  himself.  Tindal  and  Co- 
verdale, "  added  an  oath."  The 
Greek  is,  '  mterposed  with  an  oath' — 
£jit(jiTivazv  opKu).  The  word  here  used 
— /ieaircvw — means  to  mediate  or  in- 
tercede for  one  ;  and  then  to  intervene  ■ 
or  interpose.  The  meaning  here  is, 
that  he  interposed  an  oath  between 
himself  and  the  other  party  by  way 
of  a  confirmation  or  pledge. 

IS.  That  by  two  immutable  things. 
What  the  '  two  immutable  things' 
here  referred  to  are,  has  been  made 
a  matter  of  question  among  commen- 
tators. Most  expositors,  as  Doddridge, 
Whitby,  Rosenmiiller,  Koppe,  and 
Calvin,  suppose  that  the  reference  is 
to  the  promise  and  the  oath  of  God, 
each  of  which  would  be  a  firm  ground 
of  the  assurance  of  salvation,  and  in 
each  of  which  it  would  be  impossible 
for  God  to  lie.  Prof.  Stuart  supposes 
that  the  reference  is  to  tico  oaths — the 
oath  made  to  Abraham,  and  that  by 
which  the  Messiah  was  made  High 
Priest  according  to  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedek.  Ps.  ex.  4 ;  Heb.  v.  6.  10. 
He  supposes  that  thus  the  salvation 
of  believers  would  be  amply  secured, 
by  the  promise  that  Abraham  should 
have  a  Son,  the  Messiah,  in  whom  aL 
the  families  of  the  earth  would  be 
blessed,  and  in  the  oath  that  this  Son 
should  be  High  Priest  for  ever.  But 
to  this  interpretation  it  may  be  object- 
ed that  the  apostle  seems  to  refer  to 
two  things  distinct  from  each  other  in 
their  nature,  and  not  to  two  acts  of 
the  same  kind.  There  are  two  kinds  of 
security  referred  to,  wherca  ;  the  secu- 
rity furnished  according  to  tliis  inter, 
pretation  would  be  the  same  —  tha! 
arising  from  an  oath.  However  nu 
raerous  the  oaths  might  be,  still  it 


144 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


19  Which  hope  we  have  as 
an  anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure 


would  be  security  of  the  same  kind, 
and  if  one  of  them  were  broken  no 
certainty  could  be  derived  from  the 
other.  On  the  supposition,  however, 
that  he  refers  to  the  promise  and  the 
oath,  tiierc  would  be  two  kinds  of  as- 
surance of  ditfurent  kinds.  On  the 
supposition  that  the  promise  was  dis- 
regarded— if  such  a  supposition  may 
be  made — still  there  would  be  the  se- 
curity of  the  oalh — and  tlius  the  as- 
'surance  of  salvation  was  two-fold.  It 
seems  to  me,  therefore,  that  the  apos- 
tle refers  to  the  promise  and  to  the 
oalh  of  God,  as  constituting  the  two 
grounds  of  security  for  tlie  salvation 
of  his  people.  Those  things  were 
both  unchangeable,  and  when  his  word 
and  oatii  are  once  passed,  what  he 
promises  is  secure.  T  /«  which  it 
was  impo'ssible  for  God  to  lie.  That 
is,  it  would  be  contrary  to  his  nature; 
it  is  not  for  a  moment  to  be  supposed. 
Comp.  Tit.  i.  2.  "  God— that  cannot 
lie."  The  impossibility  is  a  moral 
impossibility,  and  the  use  of  the  word 
here  explains  the  sense  in  which  the 
words  impossible,  cannot,  &c.,  are 
often  used  in  the  Scriptures.  The 
meaning  here  is,  that  such  was  the 
love  of  God  for  truth ;  such  his  holi- 
ness  of  character,  that  he  could  not 
speak  falsely.  H  We  might  have  a 
strong  consolation.  The  strongest  of 
which  the  mind  can  conceive.  The 
consolation  of  a  Christian  is  not  in 
his  own  strength ;  his  hope  of  hea- 
ven is  not  in  any  reliance  on  his  own 
powers.  His  comfort  is,  that  God 
has  promised  eternal  life  to  his  peo- 
ple, and  that  He  cannot  prove  falso  to 
his  word.  Titus  i.  2.  H  Who  have 
fled  for  refuge.  Referring  to  the  fact 
that  one  charged  with  murder  fled  to 
the  city  of  refuge,  or  laid  hold  on  an 
altar  for  security.  So  we  guilty  and 
deserving  of  death  have  fled  to  the 
hopes  of  the  gospel  in  the  Redeemer. 
IT  To  lay  hold  upon.  To  seize  and 
hold  fast — as  one  does  an  altar  when 


and  stedfast,  and  which  enter- 
eth  into  that  within"  the  veil; 

a  he.  16.  15. 


he  is  pursued  bj'  the  avenger  of  blood. 
^  The  hope  set  before  us.  The  hope 
of  eternal  life  oflered  in  the  gospel. 
This  is  set  before  us  as  our  refuge, 
and  to  this  we  flee  when  we  feel  that 
we  are  in  danger  of  death.  On  the 
nature  of  hope,  sec  Notes  on  Eph.  ii. 
12. 

19.  Which  hope  ice  have  as  an  an. 
chor  of  the  soul.  Hope  accomplishes 
for  the  soul  the  same  thing  which  an 
anchor  does  for  a  ship.  It  makes  it 
fast  and  secure.  An  anchor  preserves 
a  ship  when  the  waves  beat  and  the 
wind  blows,  and  as  long  as  the  anchor 
holds,  so  long  the  ship  is  safe,^and  the 
mariner  apprehends  no  danger.  So 
with  the  soul  of  the  Christian.  In 
the,  tempests  and  trials  of  life,  his 
mind  is  calm  as  long  as  his  hope  of 
heaven  is  firm.  If  that  gives  way, 
he  feels  that  all  is  lost.  Among  the 
heathen  writers,  hope  is  often  co'n- 
pared  with  an  anchor.  So  Socrates 
said,  "  To  ground  hope  on  a  false  sup- 
position, is  like  trusting  to  a  weak 
anchor."  Again — "  A  ship  ought  not 
to  trust  to  one  anchor,  nor  life  to  one 
hope."  ^  Both  sure  and  stedfast.  Firm 
and  secure.  This  refers  to  the  an- 
chor.  That  is  fixed  in  the  sand,  and 
tlie  vessel  is  secure.  ^  And  which 
entereth  into  that  within  the  veil.  The 
allusion  to  the  anchor  here  is  dropped, 
and  the  apostle  speaks  simply  of  hope. 
The  '  ceir  here  refers  to  that  which 
in  the  temple  divided  the  holy  from 
the  most  holy  place.  See  Notes  on 
.Matt.  xxi.  12.  The  place  '  within  the 
veil' — the  most  holy  place — was  re- 
garded as  God's  peculiar  abode  — 
where  he  dwelt  by  the  visible  symbol 
of  his  presence.  That  holy  place  was 
emblematic  of  heaven  ;  and  the  idea 
here  is,  that  the  hope  of  the  Christian 
enters  into  heaven  itself;  it  takes  hold 
on  the  throne  of  God  ;  it  is  made  firm 
by  being  fastened  there.  It  is  not 
the  hope  of  future  riches,  honours,  or 
pleasures  in  this  life — for  such  a  hope 


A.  D.  e4.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


145 


20  Whither"  the  forerunner 
is  for  us  entered,  even  Jesus, 

a  c.  4.  14. 

Would  not  keep  the  soul  steady ;  it  is 
the  hope  of  immortal  blessedness  and 
purity  in  the  world  beyond. 

20.  Whither.  To  which  most  holy 
p'ate — heaven.  IT  The  forerunner. 
The  word  here  used  occurs  nowhere 
else  in  the  New  Testament.  A  fore- 
runner— TTftdSpofios — is  one  who  goes 
before  others  to  prepare  the  way. 
The  word  is  applied  to  light  troops 
Bcnt  forward  as  scouts.  Diod.  Sic. 
17.17.  Conip. 'Wisdom  of  Solomon' 
(apoc.)  xii.  8.  "  Thou  didst  send 
wasps,  forerunners  of  thy  host,  to  de- 
stroy tMem  by  little  and  little."  The 
meaning  here  is,  that  Jesus  went^jsJ 
into  the  heavenly  sanctuary.  He  led 
the  way.  He  has  gone  there  on  our 
account,  to  prepare  a  place  for  us. 
JoJni  xiv.  3.  Having  such  a  friend 
and  advocate  there,  we  should  be  firm 
in  the  hope  of  eternal  life,  and  amidst 
the  storms  and  tempests  around  us, 
we  should  be  calm.  IT  Made  an  high 
priest  for  ever.  See  Notes  ch.  v.  6.  10. 
To  illustrate  this  fact,  vv^as  the  object 
for  which  this  discussion  was  intro- 
duced, and  which  had  been  interrupt- 
ed by  the  remarks  occurring  in  this 
chapter  on  the  danger  of  apostasy. 
Having  warned  them  of  this  danger, 
and  exhorted  them  to  go  on  to  make 
the  highest  attainments  possible  in 
the  divine  life,  the  apostle  resumes 
the  discussion  respecting  Melchise- 
dek,  and  makes  the  remarks  which 
he  intended  to  make  respecting  this 
remarkable  man.     See  cli.  v.  11. 

REMARKS. 

1.  We  should  aim  at  perfection  in 
order  that  we  may  have  evidence  of 
piety.  Ver.  1.  No  man  can  be  a 
Christian  who  does  not  do  tiiis,  or 
who  does  not  desire  to  be  perfect  as 
God  is  perfect.  No  one  can  be  a 
Christian  who  is  satisfied  or  contented 
to  remain  in  sin ;  or  who  would  not 
prefer  to  be  made  at  once  as  holy  as 
an  angel — as  the  Lord  Jesus — as  God. 

2.  We  slioild  aim  at  perfection  in 

13 


made  an  high  priest  for  ever 
after  the  order  of  Melchisedek.' 

6  c.  7.  17. 

order  to  make  great  attainments. 
Ver.  1.  No  man  makes  any  great 
advance  in  anything,  who  does  not 
set  his  standard  high.  Men  usually 
accomplish  about  what  they  expect  to 
accomplish.  If  a  man  expects  to  be 
a  quack  physician,  he  becomes  such; 
if  he  is  satisfied  to  be  a  fourth-rate 
lawyer,  he  becomes  such;  if  he  is  wil- 
ling to  be  an  indifferent  mechanic,  he 
advances  no  higher ;  if  he  has  no  in- 
tention or  expectation  of  being  a  first- 
rate  farmer,  he  ^ill  never  become 
one.  If  he  sincerely  aims,  however, 
to  excel,  he  usually  accomplishes  his 
object.  And  it  is  so  in  religion.  If 
a  man  does  not  intend  to  be  an  emi- 
nent  Christian,  he  may  be  certain  he 
never  will  be.  Religion  is  not  pro- 
duced by  chance — any  more  than  fine 
fruit  is,  or  than  a  good  harvest  is. 
One  of  the  principal  reasons  why  Pre- 
sident Edwards  became  so  eminent  a 
Christian,  was,  that  in  early  life  he 
adopted  the  following  resolution,  to 
which  he  appears  always  to  have  ad- 
hered, that  "  pn  the  supposition  that 
there  never  was  to  be  but  one  indivi- 
dual in  the  world,  at  any  one  time, 
who  was  properly  a  complete  Chris- 
tian, in  all  respects  of  a  right  stamp, 
having  Christianity  always  shining 
in  its  true  lustre,  and  appearing  ex- 
cellent and  lovely,  from  whatever 
part,  and  under  whatever  character 
viewed:  Resolved,  To  act  just  as  I 
would  do,  if  I  strove  with  all  ray 
might  to  be  that  one,  who  should  live 
in  my  time."  Life,  by  S.  E.  Dwight, 
D.  D.,  p.  72. 

3.  We  should  aim  to  acquire  as 
much  knowledge  of  religious  truth  as 
we  possibly  can.  Vs.  1,  2.  True 
piety  is  principle.  It  is  not  fancy,  or 
dreaming,  or  visions,  or  enthusiasm. 
It  is  based  on  knowledge,  and  does 
not  go  beyond  that.  No  man  has  any 
more  religion  than  he  has  knowledge 
of  the  way  of  salvation.  He  cannot 
force  his  religion  to  overstep  the 
bounds  of  his  knowledge ;  for  igno- 


146 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


ranee  conf  ributes  nothing  to  devotion. 
There  may  be  knowledge  where  there 
is  no  piety  ;  but  there  ean  be  no  true 
rchgion  \\  licre  tliere  is  no  knowledge. 
Il",  therefore,  a  Christian  wisiies  to 
make  advances,  he  must  gain  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  lie  must 
understand  the  great  doctrines  of  his 
religion.  And  in  like  manner,  if  we 
wish  the  next  generation  to  be  in- 
telligent and  solid  Christians,  we 
must  train  them  up  to  understand 
the  Bible. 

4.  The  consequences  of  the  judg- 
ment will  be  eternal.  Ver.  3.  Mo 
truth  is  more  solemn  than  this.  It 
is  this  which  makes  the  prospect  of 
the  judgment  so  awful.  If  the  con- 
sequences of  the  sentence  were  to 
continue  for  a  few  years,  or  ages,  or 
centuries  only,  it  would  be  of  much 
less  importance.  But  who  can  abide 
the  thought  of  '  eiervnl  judgment  V 
Of  an  eternal  sentence  ?  Here  the 
most  fearful  and  solemn  sentence  is 
for  a  short  period.  The  sentence  will 
soon  expire  ;  or  it  is  mitigated  by  the 
hope  of  a  change.  Pain  here  is  brief. 
Disgrace,  and  sorrow,  and  heaviness 
of  heart,  and  all  the  woes  tiiat  man 
can  inflict,  soon  come  to  an  end. 
There  is  an  outer  limit  of  suffering, 
and  no  severity  of  a  sentence,  no  in- 
genuity of  man,  can  prolong  it  far. 
'I'he  man  disgraced,  and  whose  life  is 
a  burden,  will  soon  die.  On  the  ehceks 
of  the  solitary  prisoner,  doomed  to  the 
dungeon  for  life,  a  '  mortal  paleness' 
will  soon  settle  down,  and  the  com- 
forts of  an  approaching  release  by 
death  may  soothe  the  anguish  of  Iiis 
sad  heart.  The  rack  of  torture  cheats 
itself  of  its  ovi'n  purpose,  and  the  ex- 
hausted  sufferer  is  released.  "  The 
excess  [of  grief,]  makes  it  soon  mor- 
tal." But  in  the  world  of  future  wo 
the  sentence  will  never  expire ;  and 
death  will  never  come  to  relieve  the 
sufferer.  I  may  ask,  then,  of  my 
reader.  Are  you  prepared  for  the 
'  eternal'  sentence  ?  .\re  you  ready 
to  hear  a  doom  pronounced  wliieh 
can  never  be  changed  ?  VV'ould  you 
be  willing  to  have  God  judge  you  just 
as  you  arc,  and  pronounce  sucli  a 


sentence  as  ought  to  be  pronounced 
now,   and    have   the    assurance    that 
it    would     be    eternal  ?      You    seek 
worldly  honour.     Would  you  be  wil- 
ling to   be    doomed    always   to   seek 
that?  You  aspire  afler  wealth.  Would 
you  be  willing  to  be  doomed  to  aspire 
afler  that  always?  You  seek  pleasure 
— in  the  gay  and  giddy  world.  Would 
you  be  willing  to  be  doomed  always 
to  seek  afler  that  ?     You  have  no  re- 
ligion ;  perhaps  desire  to  have  none. 
Yet    would    you    be    willing    to    be 
doomed   to   be   always  without   reli- 
gion ?     You   are    a    stranger  to  the 
God  that  made  you.     Would  you  be 
willing  to  be  sentenced  to  be  always 
a   stranger  'to   God  ?     You  indulge 
in    passion,    pride,   envy,  sefcuality. 
Would  you  be  willing  to  be  sentenced 
always  to  the  raging  of  these  passions 
and  lusts  ?     How  few  are  they  who 
would  be  willing  to  have  an  eternal 
sentence  passed    on    them,  or  to  be 
doomed  to  pursue  their  present  em- 
ployments, or  to  cherish  their  present 
opinions    for   ever !     How    few   who 
would  dare  to  meet  a  sentence  which 
should  be  in  strict  accordance  witli 
what  was  just,  and  which  was  never 
to  change ! 

5.  With  tlie  righteous  it  should  be 
matter  of  rejoicing  that  the  judgment 
is  to  be  eternal.  Ver.  3.  They  can 
desire  no  change  of  fhe  sentence 
which  will  assign  them  to  heaven  • 
and  it  will  be  no  small  part  of  the  • 
joy  of  the  heavenly  world,  tliat  the 
results  of  the  judgment  will  be  ever- 
lasting. There  will  be  no  further 
trial ;  no  reversing  of  the  sentence  ; 
no  withdrawing  of  the  crown  of  glory. 
The  righteous  are  the  only  ones  who 
have  not  reason  to  dread  a  'just  eter- 
nal sentence  ;'  aryl  titry  will  rejoice 
when  the  time  shall  come  which  will 
fix  their  doom  for  ever. 

6.  We  siiould  dread  apostasy  from 
the  true  religion.  Ver.  4.  We  should 
habitually  feel  liiat  if  we  should  deny 
our  Lord,  and  reject  his  religion,^ 
tliere  would  be  no  hope.  The  die 
would  be  cast ;  and  we  must  then 
perish  for  ever.  By  this  solemn  con- 
sideration  God    intends   to   preserve 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


147 


bis  people,  and  it  is  a  consideration 
which  has  been  so  effectual  that  there 
is  not  the  least  reason  to  suppose  that 
any  one  who  has  ever  liad  any  true 
religion,  has  fallen  away  and  perished. 
Many  have  been  almost  Christians, 
ar.d  have  then  turned  back  to  perdi- 
tion (Matt.  vii.  22,  23  ;  Acts  xxvi.  28), 
but  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
any  who  have  been  true  Christians 
have  thus  apostatized  and  been  lost. 
Yet  Christians  are  not  kept  without 
watchfulness ;  they  cannot  be  kept 
without  the  most  sincere  and  constant 
endeavours  to  preserve  themselves 
from  falling. 

7.  If  the  sin  of  apostasy  is  so  great, 
then  every  approach  to  it  is  danger- 
ous ;  and  then  every  sin  should  be 
avoided.  He  that  habitually  indulges 
in  sin  cannot  be  a  Christian ;  and 
every  sin  which  a  sincere  Christian 
commits  should  be  measured  by  the 
guilt  which  tcould  exist  should  it  be- 
come final,  and  should  he  wholly  fall 
away.  No  man  can  indulge  in  sin 
and  be  safe ;  and  no  professed  Chris- 
tian who  finds  himse]f  disposed  to  in- 
dulge in  sin,  should  cherish  the  ex- 
pectation of  reacliing  heaven.  Vs.  4 
—  6. 

8.  It  is  a  matter  of  devout  gratitude 
that  God  has  kept  all  his  true  people 
from  apostasy.  Vs,  4 — 6.  If  it  is 
true  that  no  one  who  has  been  re- 
generated has  ever  fallen  away  ;  if  the 
means  which  God  has  used  have  been 
effectual  in  a  world  so  full  of  tempta- 
tions and  when  we  have  hearts  so 
prone  to  evil ;  and  if  it  is  tlie  intention 
of  God  to  keep  all  to  eternal  salvation 
wlio  are  truly  converted,  then  it 
should  be  to  us  a  subject  of  devout 
thankfiilness  and  of  encouragement. 
In  view  of  this,  we  should  admire  the 
wisdom  of  the  plan  which  tlms  se- 
cures salvation  ;  we  should  look  to 
him  with  the  firm  assurance  that  he 
will  keep  what  we  have  committed  to 
him  to  the  final  day. 

9.  We  should  improve  the  privi- 
leges which  we  enjoy  so  as  to  receive 
a  blessing  from  God.  Vs.  7,  8.  It  is 
desirable  that  a  farm  should  be  well 
cultivated  so  as  not  to  be   overrun 


with  briars  and  thorns ;  desirable  thai 
it  should  produce  an  abundant  liar- 
vest,  and  not  exhibit  mere  barren- 
ness  and  desolation.  Yet,  alas,  there 
are  many  professing  Christians  who 
resemble  such  a  field  of  thorns,  and 
such  a  scene  of  desolation.  They 
produce  no  fruits  of  righteousness ; 
tliey  do  nothing  to  extend  the  king, 
dom  of  the  Redeemer !  What  can 
such  expect  but  the  '  curse'  of  God  ? 
What  can  the  end  of  such  be  but  to 
be  '  burned  ?' 

10.  God  will  not  fail  to  reward  his 
faithful  people.  Ver.  10.  What  we 
have  done  in  his  service,  and  with  a 
sincere  desire  to  promote  his  glory, 
unworthy  of  his  notice  as  it  may 
seem  to  us  to  be,  he  will  not  fail  to 
reward.  It  may  be  unobserved  or 
forgotten  by  the  world ;  nay,  it  may 
pass  out  of  our  own  recollection,  but 
it  will  never  fail  from  the  mind  of 
God.  Whether.it  be  'two  mites'  con- 
tributed to  his  cause,  or  a  'cup  of  cold 
water  given  to  a  disciple,'  or  a  life 
consecrated  to  his  service,  it  will  be 
alike  remembered.  What  encourage- 
ment there  is,  therefore,  to  labour  in 
the  promotion  of  his  glory,  and  to  do 
all  we  can  for  the  advancement  of 
his  kingdom  ! 

11.  Let  us  follow  those  who  have 
inherited  the  promises.  Ver.  12.  They 
are  worthy  examples.  When  from 
their  lofty  seats  in  heaven  they  look 
back  on  the  journey  of  life,  though 
to  them  attended  with  many  trials, 
they  never  regret  the  '  faith  and  pa- 
tience'  by  which  they  were  enabled  to 
persevere.  We  have  most  illustrious 
examples  to  imitate.  They  are  nu- 
merous as  the  drops  of  dew,  and  bright 
as  the  star  of  the  morning.  It  is  an 
lionour  to  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
holy  men  who  have  inherited  the  pro- 
mises  ;  an  honour  to  feel  that  we  are 
walking  in  tlie  same  path,  and  are 
reaching  out  the  hand  to  the  same 
crown. 

12.  It  is  the  privilege  of  those  who 
are  truly  the  children  of  God  to  enjoy 
strong  consolation.  Vs.  13 — 18.  Their 
hope  is  based  on  that  which  cannot 
fail.     God  cannot  lie.    And  when  w« 


148 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4. 


have  evidence  that  he  has  promif?ed 
us  eternal  life,  we  may  o]»en  our 
liearts  to  the  full  influence  of  Chris- 
tian consolation.  It  may  be  asked, 
|»erhaps,  how  we  may  have  that  evi- 
dence ?  Will  God  speak  to  iis  from 
lieaven  and  assure  us  that  we  are  his 
children  ?  Will  he  reveal  our  names 
as  written  in  his  book  ?  Will  he  come 
to  us  in  the  night-watches  and  ad- 
dress us  by  name  as  his  ?  I  answer, 
Na  None  of  these  things  are  we  to 
expect.  But  if  we  have  evidence  that 
we  have  true  repentance,  and  sincere 
faith  in  the  Redeemer ;  if  we  love  ho- 
liness and  desire  to  lead  a  pure  life  ; 
if  we  delight  in  the  Bible  and  in  the 
people  of  God,  then  we  may  regard 
him  as  addressing  us  in  the  promises 
and  oaths  of  his  word,  and  assuring 
us  of  salvation.  These  promises  be- 
long to  us,  and  we  may  apply  them 
to  ourselves.  And  if  we  have  evidence 
that  God  promises  usiclernal  life,  why 
should  we  doubt  ?  We  may  feel  that 
we  are  unworthy ;  our  consciences 
may  reproach  us  for  the  errors  and 
follies  of  our  past  lives ;  but  on  the 
unchanging  word  and  oath  of  God 
we  may  rely,  and  there  we  may  feel 
secure. 

13.  How  invaluable  is  the  Christian 
hope !  Ver.  19.  To  us  it  is  like  the 
anchor  to  a  vessel  in  a  storm.  We 
arc  sailing  along  the  voyage  of  life. 
We  are  exposed  to  breakers,  and  tem- 
pests. Our  bark  is  liable  to  be  tossed 
about,  or  to  be  shipwrecked.  In  the 
agitations  and  troubles  of  life,  how 
much  we  need  some  anchor  of  the 
eoul ;  something  that  shall  make  us 
calm  and  serene  !  Such  an  anchor  is 
found  in  the  hope  of  the  gospel.  Wliile 
that  hope  is  firm  we  need  fear  nothing. 
All  is  then  safe,  and  we  may  look 
calmly  on,  assured  that  we  shall  ride 
out  the  storm,  and  come  at  last  safely 
into  the  haven  of  peace.  Happy  they 
who  have  fled  for  refuge  to  the  fiiitli 
of  the  gospel ;  whose  hope  like  a 
steady  anchor  has  entered  into  hea- 
ven and  binds  the  soul  to  the  throne 
of  God  ;  whose  confidence  in  the  lie- 
deemer  is  unshaken  in  all  the  storms 
oi  life,  and  who  have  the  aMurance 


that  when  the  tempest  shall  have 
beaten  upon  them  a  little  longer  they 
will  be  admitted  to  a  haven  of  rest, 
where  storjns  and  tempests  are  for 
ever  unknown.  With  such  a  hope 
we  may  well  l)ear  the  trials  of  this 
life  for  tiie  few  days  appointed  to  us 
on  earth  —  for  what  are  the  longest 
trials  here  compared  with  that  eter- 
nal rest  which  remains  for  all  who 
love  God  in  a  brighter  world  ? 

CHAPTER  VII. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    CHAPTER. 

In  ch.  v.  10,  11,  tiie  apostle  had 
introduced  the  name  of  Melchisedek, 
and  said  that  C.hrist  was  made  an 
high  priest  after  the  same  order  as 
he.  He  added,  that  he  had  much  to 
say  of  him,  but  that  they  were  not  in 
a  state  of  mind  then  to  receive  or  un- 
dersUnd  it.  He  then  (eh.  v.  12 — 14) 
rebukes  them  for  the  little  progress 
which  they  had  made  in  Christian 
knowledge ;  exhorts  them  to  go  on 
and  make  higher  attainments  (ch.  vi. 
1 — 3) ;  warns  them  against  the  dan- 
ger  of  apostasy  (ch.  vi.  4 — 8) ;  and 
encourages  them  to  hold  fast  their 
faith  and  hope  to  the  end,  in  view  of 
the  covenant  faithfulness  of  God  (ch. 
vi.  9 — 20) ;  and  now  returns  to  the 
subject  under  discussion — the  high 
priesthood  of  Christ.  His  object  is 
to  show  that  he  was  superior  to  the 
Jewish  high  priest,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose he  institutes  the  comparison  be- 
tween him  and  Melchisedek.  The 
argument  is  the  following: — 

I.  That  which  is  drawn  fi-oni  the 
exalted  rank  of  Melchisedek,  and  the 
fact  that  the  ancestor  of  the  whole 
Jewish  priesthood  and  community- 
Abraham — acknowledged  him  as  his 
superior,  and  rendered  tribute  to  him. 
But-Clirist  was  o'f  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedek, and  the  apostle,  therefore, 
infers  his  superiority  to  the  Jewish 
priesthood.  Vs.  1 — 10.  In  tlie  pro 
secution  of  this  argument,  the  apostle 
dwells  on  the  import  of  tiie  name 
Melchisedek  (vs.  1,  '2)  j- states  the  fact 
that  he  was  witiiout  any  known  an- 
cestry or  descent,  and  that  he  stood 
alone  on  the  pages  of  the  sacred  re< 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VII, 


149 


¥ 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OR  this  Melchisedek,  "kinor 
of  Salem,  priest  of  the  most 

a  Ge.  14. 18.,  &c. 


cord,  and  was  therefore  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  tlie  Son  of  God,  who 
had  a  similar  pre-eminence  (ver.  3) ; 
iirg-es  the  consideration  that  even 
Abraliam,  the  ancestor  of  the  whole 
Jewish  community  and  priesthood, 
paid  tithes  to  him,  and  thus  confessed 
his  inferiority  (ver.  4)  ;  shows  that  he 
of  whom  a  blessing  was  received  must 
be  superior  to  the  one  who  receives  it 
(vs.  6,  7);  and  that  even  Levi,  the 
ancestor  of  the  whole  Levitical  priest- 
hood, might  be  said  to  have  paid 
tithes  in  Abraham,  and  thus  to  have 
acknowledged  his  inferiority  to  Mel- 
chisedek, and  consequently  to  the 
Son  of  God,  who  was  of  his  '  order.' 
Vs.  9,  10. 

II.  The  apostle  shows  that  ^perfec- 
tion' could  not  arise  out  of  the  Leviti- 
cal priesthood,  and  that  a  priesthood 
that  introduced  a  perfect  state  must 
be  superior.  Vs.  11 — 19.  In  the  pro- 
secution of  this  argument,  he  states 
that  perfection  could  not  be  arrived 
at  under  the  Hebrew  economy,  and 
that  there  was  need  that  a  priesthood 
of  another  order  should  be  formed 
(ver.  11) ;  that  a  change  of  the  priest- 
hood involved  of  necessity  a  change 
in  the  law  or  administration  (ver.  12) ; 
that  the  necessity  of  change  of  the 
law  also  followed  from  the  fact  that 
the  great  high  priest  was  now  of  an- 
other tribe  tiian  that  of  Levi  (vs.  13, 
14) ;  that  the  Christian  High  Priest 
was  constiiuted  not  after  a  command- 
ment pertaining  to  the  flesh  and  liable 
to  change,  but '  after  the  power  of  an 
endless  life'  —  adapted  to  a  life  that 
was  never  to  change  or  to  end  (vs. 
15 — 17) ;  that  consequently  there  was 
a  disannulling  of  the  commandment 
going  before,  because  it  was  weak 
and  unprofitable  (ver.  18);  and  that 
the  old  law  made  nothing  perfect,  but 

hat  by  the  new  arrangement  a  sys- 
;eni  of  entire  and  eternal  perfection 
A'as  introduced.  Ver.  19. 

III.  The  apostle  shows  the  supe- 
13* 


high  God,  who  met  Abraham 
returning  from  the  slaughter  of 
the  kings,  and  blessed  him  ; 


riority  of  the  priesthood  of  Christ  to 
that  of  the  Jewish  system  from  the 
fact  that  the  great  High  Priest  of  the 
Christian  system  was  constituted  with 
the  solemnity  of  an  oath  ;  the  Jewish 
priesthood  was  not.  Vs.  20 — 22.  His 
priesthood,  therefore,,  was  as  much 
more  important  and  solemn  as  an 
oath  is  superior  to  a  command ;  and 
his  suretyship  became  as  much  more 
certain  as  an  oath  is  superior  to  a 
simple  promise.  Ver.  22. 

IV.  The  superiority  of  the  priest- 
hood of  Christ  is  further  shown  from 
the  fact  that  under  the  former  dispen- 
sation  there  were  many  priests ;  but 
here  there  was  but  one.  There,  they 
lived  but  a  brief  period,  and  then  gave 
way  to  their  successors ;  but  here 
there  was  no  removal  by  death,  there 
was  no  succession,  there  was  an  un- 
changeable  priesthood.  Vs.  23,  24. 
He  infers,  therefore  (ver.  25),  that  the 
Christian  High  Priest  was  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  came 
to  the  Father  by  him,  since  he  ever 
lived  to  make  intercession. 

V.  The  last  argument  is,  that  un- 
der the  Levitical  priesthood  it  was 
necessary  for  the  priest,  to  offer  sacri- 
fice for  his  own  sins  as  well  as  for 
t  lose  of  the  people.  No  such  neces- 
sitj',  however,  existed  in  regard  to  the 
High  Priest  of  the  Christian  system. 
He  was  holy,  harmless,  and  undefiled ; 
he  had  no  need  to  offer  sacrifices  for 
his  own  sins ;  and  in  this  respect 
there  was  a  vast  superiority  of  the 
Christian  priesthood  over  the  Jewish. 
Vs.  26—28.  The  force  of  these  sev. 
oral  arguments  we  shall  be  able  to 
estimate  as  we  advance  in  the  expo- 
sition. 

1.  For  this  Melchisedek.  Comp. 
Notes  ch.  V.  6.  The  name  Melchise- 
dek, from  which  the  apostle  derives 
a  portion  of  his  argument  here,  ia 
Hebrew,  pl-2f  -  ''^Sd,  and  is  correct, 
ly  explained  as  meaning  king  of  right 


150 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


eoiisness — being  conipoundcd  of  two 
words — king  and  rifrlUeuusneiiS.    Why 
this  name  was  ^ivcn  to  tliis  man  is 
unitnovvn.     Names,    however,    were 
frequently  given  on  aeeount  of  some 
quality  or  characteristic  of  tlie  man. 
Notes  on   Isa.  viii.   18.     This  name 
may  have  been  given  on  account  of 
his  eminent   integrity.     The   apostle 
calls  attention  to  it  (ver.  2,)  as  a  cir- 
cumstance  wortiiy  of  notice,  that  his 
name,  and  the  name  of  the  city  where 
lie    reigned,  were   so    appropriate  to 
one  who,  as  a  priest,  was  the  prede- 
cessor of  the  Messiah.     The  account 
of  MelcliisedeU,  which  is  very  brief, 
occurs    in    Gen.    xiv.    18  —  20.     The 
name  occurs  in  the  Bible  only  in  Gen. 
xiv.,  Ps.  ex.  4.,  and   in  this   epistle. 
Nothing  else  is  certainly  known  of 
him.     Grotius  supposes  that  he  is  the 
same  man  who  in  the  history  of  San- 
clioniathon  is  called  Su^uk — Sydyc.  It 
has  indeed  been  made  a  question  l)y 
some  whether  such  a  person  ever  ac- 
tually existed,  and  consequently  whe- 
ther tliis  be  a  proper  name.     But  the 
account  in  Genesis  is  as  simple  a  his- 
torical record  as  any  other  in  the  Bi- 
ble.   In  that  account  there  is  no  diffi- 
culty whatever.    It  is  said  simply  that 
when  Abraham  was  returning  from  a 
successful    military    expedition,    this 
man,  wlio  it  seems  was  well  known, 
and  who  was  respected  as  a  priest  of 
God,  came  out  to  express  his  appro- 
bation of  what  he  had  done,  and  t) 
refresh  him  with  bread  and  wine.  As 
a  tribute  of  gratitude  to  him,  and  as  a 
thank-offering  to  God,  Abraham  gave 
him  a  tenth  part  of  the  spoils  which  he 
had  taken.     Such  an  occurrence  was 
by  no  means  improbable,  nor  would 
it  have  been  attended  with  any  spe- 
cial difficulty  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  use  which  the  apostle  makes  of 
it  in  this  epistle.     Yet  on  no  subject 
lias  there  been  a  greater  variety  of 
opinion  than  in  regard  to  this  man. 
The  bare  recital  of  the  opinions  which 
Jiavc  been  entertained  of  him  would 
fill  a  volume.     But  in  a  ease  which 
sfnns  to  be  ])l:iin  Iroin  the  Scripture 
narrative,  it  is  not  necessary  even  to 
enumerate  these  opinions.    Tliey  only 


serve  to  show  iiow  easy  it  is  for  men 
to  mystify  a  clear  statement  of  his- 
tory, and  how  fond  they  are  of  find- 
ing  what  is  mysterious  and  marvel- 
lous in  the  plainest  narrative  of  facts. 
That  he  was  Shem,  as  the  Jews  sup- 
pose, or  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God 
himself,  as  many  Christian  expositors 
have    maintained,    there    is    not    the 
slightest   evidence.     That  the   latter 
opinion  is  false  is  perfectly  clear — for 
if  he  were  the  Son  of  God,  with  what 
propriety  could  the  apostle  say  that 
he  "  was  made  like  the  Son  of  God" 
(ver.  3) ;  that  is,  like  himself;  or  that 
Christ  was  constituted  a  priest  "  after 
the  order  of  Melchisedek ;"  that    is, 
that  he  was  a  type  of  himself?     The 
most  simple  and  probable  opinion  is 
that  given  by  Josephus,  that  he  was 
a   pious  Canaanitish    prince ;  a  per- 
sonage eminently  endowed   by  (iod, 
and  who  acted   as  the  priest  of  his 
people.     That  he  conabined  in  him- 
self the  offices  of  priest  and  king,  fur- 
nished  to  the  apostle  a  beautiful  illus- 
tration of  the  offices  sustained  by  the 
Redeemer,  and  was,  in  this  respect, 
perhaps  the  only  one  whose  history  is 
recorded  in  the  Old  Testament,  who 
would   furnish    such  an   illustration. 
That  his  genealogy  was  not  recorded, 
while  that  of  every  other  priest  men- 
tioned  was   so   carefully  traced  and 
preserved,  furnished  another  striking 
illustration.     In  this  respect,  like  the 
Son  of  God,  he  stood  alone.     He  was 
not  in  a  line  of  priests ;  he  was  pre- 
ceded  by  no  one   in  the   Sacerdotal 
office,  nor  was  he  followed   by  any. 
That   he  was  superior  to  Abraham, 
and  consequently  to  all  who  descend, 
ed  from  Abraham  ;  that  a  tribute  was 
rendered  to  him  by  the  great  Ances- 
tor  of  all    the    fraternity  of  Jewish 
priests,  was  just  an  illustration  which 
suited  the  purpose  of  Paul.  His  name, 
therefore,  the  place  where  he  reigned, 
his  solitariness,  his  lone  conspicuity 
in  all  the  past,  his  dignity,  and  per- 
haps  the  air  of  mystery  thrown  over 
him  in  the  brief  history  in  (Jenesis, 
furnished    a    beautiful    and    striking 
illustration  of  the  solitary  grandeur, 
and  the  inapproachable  eminence  of 


A.  D.  64,] 


CHAPTER  VI I. 


151 


the  priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God 
There  is  no  evidence  that  Melchise- 
dek  was  designed  to  be  a  type  of  the 
Messiah,  or  that  Abraham  so  under- 
stood it.  Nothing  of  this  kind  is 
affirmed ;  and  how  shall  we  affirm  it 
when  the  sacred  oracles  are  silent  ? 
^  King  of  Salem.  Such  is  the  record 
in  Gen.  xiv.  18.  The  word  Salem — 
D75l' — means  peace;  and  from  this 
fact  the  apostle  derives  his  illustration 
in  ver.  2.  He  regards  it  as  a  fact 
worth  remarking  on,  that  the  name 
of  the  place  over  which  he  ruled  ex- 
pressed so  strikingly  the  nature  of  the 
kingdom  over  which  the  Messiah  was 
placed.  ]n  regard  to  the  place  here 
denoted  by  the  name  SaleTn,  the  al- 
most uniform  opinion  has  been  that 
it  was  that  afterwards  known  as  Je- 
rusalem. The  reasons  for  this  opin- 
ion are,  (1.)  that  it  is  a  part  of  the 
name  Jerusalem  itself — the  name  Je- 
rus,  altered  from  Jehus,  having  been 
afterward  added,  because  it  was  the 
residence  of  the  Jehusiles.  (2.)  The 
name  Salem  is  itself  given  to  Jerusa- 
lem. Ps.  Ixxvi.  2.  "  In  Salem  also 
is  his  tabernacle,  and  his  dwelling- 
place  in  Zion."  (3.)  Jerusalem  would 
be  in  the  direction  through  which 
Abraham  would  naturally  pass  on  his 
return  from  the  slaughter  of  the  kings. 
He  had  pursued  them  unto  Dan  (Gen. 
xiv.  14),  and  he  was  returning  to 
Mamre,  that  is,  Hebron.  Gen.  xiv. 
13.  On  his  return,  therefore,  he  would 
pass  in  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem.  Ro- 
senmiiller,  however,  supposes  that  by 
the  name  here,  Jerusalem  is  not  in- 
tended, but  the  whole  region  occupied 
bj'  the  Jebusites  and  Hittites,  or  the 
royal  seat  of  this  region,  situated  not 
far  from  the  cities  of  the  plain — the 
vale  of  Siddim  where  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah were  situated.  But  I  see  no 
reason  for  doubting  that  the  common 
opinion  that  Jerusalem  is  intended,  is 
correct.  Tliat  place  was  favourably 
situated  for  a  capital  of  a  nation  or 
tribe  ;  was  easily  fortified  ;  and  would 
be  likely  to  be  early  selected  as  a  royal 
residence.  V  Priest  of  the  most  high 
God.    This  is  the  account  which  is 


given  of  him  in  Gen.  xiv.  18.  Tha 
leading  office  of  priest  was  to  offer 
sacrifice.  This  duty  was  probably 
first  performed  by  the  father  of  the 
family  (comp.  Notes  on  Job  i.  5  ;  see 
also  Gen.  viii.  20  ;  xxii.  2),  and  when 
he  was  dead  it  devolved  on  the  eldest 
son.  It  would  seem  also  that  in  the 
early  ages,  among  all  nations  whose 
records  have  reached  us,  the  office  of 
priest  and  king  were  united  in  the 
same  person.  It  was  long  before  it 
was  found  that  the  interests  of  reli- 
gion would  be  promoted  by  having 
the  office  of  priest  pertain  to  an  order 
of  men  set  apart  for  this  special  work. 
That  Melchisedek,  who  was  a  king, 
should  also  be  a  priest,  was  not,  there- 
fore, remarkable.  The  only  thing 
remarkable  is,  that  he  should  have 
been  a  priest  of  the  true  God.  In 
what  way  he  became  acquainted  with 
Him,  is  wholly  unknown.  It  may 
have  been  by  tradition  preserved  from 
the  times  of  Noah,  as  it  is  possible 
that  the  arrival  of  Abraham  in  that 
land  may  have  been  in  some  way  the 
means  of  acquainting  him  with  the 
existence  and  character  of  Jehovah, 
The  fact  shows  at  least  that  the  know- 
ledge of  the  true  God  was  not  extinct 
in  the  world.  IT  Who  met  Ahraham. 
He  came  out  to  meet  him,  and  brought 
with  him  bread  and  wine.  Why  he 
did  this,  is  not  mentioned.  It  was 
probably  as  an  expression  of  grati- 
tude to  Abraham  for  having  freed  the 
country  from  oppressive  and  trouble- 
some invaders,  and  in  order  to  furnish 
refreshments  to  the  party  which  Abra- 
ham headed  who  had  become  weary 
and  exhausted  with  the  pursuit.  There 
is  not  the  slightest  evidence  that  the 
bread  and  wine  which  he  brought 
forth  was  designed  to  typify  the  Sa- 
crament of  the  Lord's  Supper,  as  has 
been  sometimes  supposed.  Comp, 
Bush  on  Gen.  xiv.  18.  What  did  he 
know  of  this  ordinance  ?  And  v/hy 
should  we  resort  to  such  a  supposi- 
tion, when  the  whole  case  may  be 
met  by  a  simple  reference  to  the  an- 
dient  rites  of  hospitality,  and  by  the 
fact  that  the  deliverance  of  the  coun- 
try by  Abraham  from  a  grievous  inva- 


152 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


2  To  whom  also  Abraham  I  of  righteousness,  and  after  that 
gave  a  tenth  part  of  all;  first  also  King  of  Salem,  which  is, 
being   by  interpretation    King  King  of  peace  ; 


Bion  made  some  expression  of  grati- 
tude on  the  part  of  this  pious  king  in 
the  highest  degree  proper  ?    ^  Return- 
ing from  the  slaughter  of  the  kings. 
Amraphel,  king  of  Shinar,   Arioch, 
king  of  Ellasar,  Chedorlaomer,  king 
of  Elam,   and   "  Tidal,  king   of  na- 
tions," who  had   invaded  the  valley 
where   Sodom   and  Gomorrah   were, 
and  had  departed  with  a  great  amount 
of  booty.    Those  kings  Abraham  had 
pursued  beyond  Dan,  and  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Damascus,  and  had  smit- 
ten  them,  and  recovered    the    spoil. 
H  And  blessed  him.     For  the  import- 
ant service  which  he  liad  rendered  in 
taking  vengeance  on  these  invaders  ; 
in  freeing  the  land  from  the  appre- 
hension of  being  invaded  again  ;  and 
in  recovering  the  valuable  booty  which 
they  had  taken  away.     From  vs.  6, 
7,  it  appears  tliat  this  act  of  blessing 
was  regarded  as  that  of  one  who  was 
superior  to  Abraham.     That  is,  lie 
blessed  him  as  a  priest  and  a  king. 
As  such  he  was  superior  in  rank  to 
Abraham,  who  never  claimed  the  title 
of  king,  and  who  is  not  spoken  of  as 
a  priest. 

2.  To  whom  also  Abraham  gave  a 
tenth  part  of  all.  That  is,  a  tenth 
part  of  all  the  spoils  which  he  had 
taken  (Gen.  xiv.  20),  thus  acknow- 
ledging that  in  dignity  of  office  Mel- 
chisedek  was  greatly  his  superior. 
Vs.  4.  6.  8.  This  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  on  the  part  of  Abraham  so 
much  designed  as  a  present  to  IVIcl- 
chisedek  personally,  as  an  act  of'pious 
thankfulness  to  God.  He  doubtless 
recognised  in  Melchisedck  one  who 
was  a  minister  of  God,  and  to  him  as 
such  he  devoted  the  tenth  of  all  which 
he  had  taken,  as  a  proper  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  goodness  of  God  and 
of  his  claims.  From  this  it  is  evident 
that  the  propriety  of  devoting  a  tenth 
part  of  what  was  possessed  to  God; 
was  regarded  as  a  duty  before  the 
appointment"  of   the   licvitical    law. 


Some  expression  of  this  kind  is  obvi- 
ously   demanded,    and    piety    seems 
early  to  have  fixed  on  the  tenth  part 
as  being  no  more  than  a  proper  pro- 
portion to  consecrate  to  the  service 
of  religion.     For  the  propriety  of  the 
use  which  the  apostle  makes  of  this 
fact,  see  Notes  on  vs.  4.  6.  8.  If  First 
being.     The  first  idea  in  the  inter- 
pretation of  his  name  and  office,  &,c. 
First   being    mentioned   as   king  of 
righteousness,  and  then  as  king  of 
peace.   ^  King  of  righteousness.   The 
literal  translation  of  the  name  Mel- 
chisedck.    Notes  ver.l.     The  ar^u- 
ment  implied  in  this  by  the  remarks 
of  the  apostle  is,  that  he  bore  a  name 
which  made  him  a  proper  emblem  of 
the  Messiah.     There  was  a  propriety 
that  one  in  whose '  order'  the  Messiah 
was  to  be  found,  should  have  such  a 
name.     It  would  be  exactly  descrip. 
tive  of  him,  and  it  was  worthy  of  ob- 
servation  that  lie  of  whose  '  order'  it 
was    said    the    Messiah    would    be, 
should  have  had  such  a  name.     Paul 
does  not  say  that  this  name  was  given 
to  him  with  any  such  reference  ;  or 
that  it  was  designed  to  be  symbolical 
of  what  the  Messiah  would  be,  but 
that  there  was   a  remarkable  coinci- 
dence ;  that  it  was  a  fact  which  was 
worth    at   least   a  passing    thought. 
This  is  a  kind  of  remark  that  might 
occur  to  any  one  to  make,  and  where 
the  slight  use  which  Paul  makes  of 
it  would  not  be  improper  anywhere; 
but  it  cannot  be  denied  that  to  one 
accustomed  to  the  Jewish  mode  of  rea- 
soning—  accustomed  to  dwell  much 
on  hidden  meanings,  and  to  trace  out 
concealed  arralogics,  it  would  be  much 
more  obvious  and  striking  than  it  is 
with  us.     Wc  are  to  place  ourselves 
in  the  situation  of  those    to   whom 
Paul  wrote — trained  up  with  Jewish 
feelings,  and  Jewish  modes  of  thought, 
and  to  ask  how  this  would  strike  their 
mind's.     And  this  is  no  more  unrea- 
sonable than  it  would  be  in  interpret. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VII. 


i53 


3  Without  father,  without 
mother,  without'  descent,  hav- 
ing n-either  beginning  of  days 

1  pedigree. 

ing  a  Greek  classic,  or  a  work  of  a 
Hindoo  philosopher,  that  we  should 
endeavour  to  place  ourselves  in  the 
situation  of  the  writer  and  of  those 
for  whom  he  wrote,  and  ascertain 
what  ideas  would  be  conveyed  to  them 
by  certain  expressions,  _  It  is  not 
meant  by  these  observations  that  there 
was  really  no  intrinsic  force  In  what 
Paul  here  said  respecting  the  import 
of  the  name.  There  was  force;  and 
all  the  use  which  he  makes  of  it  is 
proper.  His  meaning  appears  to  be 
merely  that  it  was  a  fact  wortliy  of 
remark,  that  the  name  had  a  meaning 
which  corresponded  so  entirely  with 
the  character  of  him  who  was  to  be  a 
high  priest  of  the  same  "order,"  H  And 
after  that.  He  is  mentioned  after  that 
with  another  appellation  equally  sig- 
nificant. ^  King  of  peace.  A  literal 
translation  of  tlie  appellation  'king  of 
Salem.'  Ver.  1 .  The  idea  of  Paul  is,  that 
it  was  worthy  of  remark  that  the  appel- 
lation which  he  bore  was  appropriate 
to  one  whose  ministry  it  was  said  the 
priesthood  of  the  Messiah  would  re- 
semble, 

3.  Without  father.  The  phrase  with. 
out  father — aTra'rwp — means  literally 
one  who  has  no  father ;  one  who  has 
lost  his  father  ;  one  who  is  an  orphan. 
Then  it  denotes  one  who  is  born  after 
the  death  of  his  father ;  then  one 
whose  fp'her  is  unknown — spurious. 
Passow.  The  word  occurs  often  in 
these  senses  in  the  classic  writers, 
for  numerous  examples  of  which  tlie 
reader  may  consult  Wetstein  in  loc. 
It  is  morally  certain,  however,  that 
the  apostle  did  not  use  the  word  here 
in  either  of  these  senses,  for  there  is 
no  evidence  that  Melchisedek  was 
fatherless  in  any  of  these  respects.  It 
was  very  important  in  the  estimation 
of  the  Jews  that  the  line  of  their 
priesthood  should  be  carefully  kept ; 
that  their  genealogies  should  be  ac- 
curately marked  and  preserved  ;  and 


nor  end  of  life;  but  made  like 
unto  the  Son  of  God,  abideth  a 
priest  continually. 


that  their  direct  descent  from  Aaron 
should  be  susceptible  of  easy  and  cer- 
tain  proof.  But  the  apostle  says  that 
there  was  no  such  genealogical  table 
in  regard  to  Melchisedek.  There  waa 
no  record  made  of  the  name  either  of 
his  father,  his  mother,  or  any  of  his 
posterity.  He  stood  alone.  It  is  simply 
said  that  such  a  man  came  out  to 
meet  Abraham — and  that  is  the  first 
and  the  last  which  we  hear  of  him  and 
of  his  family.  Now,  says  the  apostle, 
it  is  distinctly  said  (Ps.  ex.  4),  that 
the  Messiah  was  to  be  a  priest  accord- 
ing to  his  order — and  in  this  respect 
there  is  a  remarkable  resemblance, 
so  far  as  the  point  of  his  being  a  priest 
— which  was  the  point  under  discus 
sion — was  concerned.  The  Messiah 
thus,  as  a  priest,  stood  alone.  His 
name  does  not  appear  in  the  line  of 
priests.  He  pertained  to  another  tribe. 
Ver.  14.  No  one  of  his  ancestors  is 
mentioned  as  a  priest;  and  as  a  priest 
he  has  no  descendants,  and  no  follow, 
ers.  He  has  a  lonely  conspicuity 
similar  to  that  of  Melchisedek ;  a 
standing  unlike  that  of  any  other 
priest.  This  should  not,  therefore,  be 
construed  as  meaning  that  the  gene- 
alogy  of  Christ  could  not  be  traced 
out — which  is  not  true,  for  Matthew 
(ch.  i.),  and  Luke  (ch.iii.),  have  care 
fully  preserved  it ;  but  that  he  had  no 
genealogical  record  as  a  priest.  As 
the  reasoning  of  the  apostle  pertains 
to  this  point  only,  it  would  be  unfair 
to  construe  it  as  implying  that  the 
Messiah  was  to  stand  unconnected 
with  any  ancestor,  or  that  his  gene- 
alogy would  be  unknown.  The  mean- 
ing of  the  word  rendered  '  without 
father'  here  is,  therefore,  one  the  name 
of  whose  father  is  not  recorded  in  the 
Hebrew  genealogies.  ^  Without  mo- 
ther. The  name  of  whose  mother  is 
unknown,  or  is  not  recorded  in  the 
Hebrew  genealogical  tables.  Philo 
calls  Sarah — ain'iropa — without  mother 


154 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


probably  because  licr  mother  is  not 
mentioned  'n  tfie  saercd  records.  Tiie 
Syriac  lias  given  the  correct  view  of 
tlie  meannifT  of  the  apostle.  In  that 
vrrsiou  it  is,  '  Of  whom  neither  the 
father  nor  mother  arc  recorded  in  the 
genealogies.'  The  meaning  here  is 
not  tliat  Melehisedek  was  of  low 
and  obscure  origin  —  as  the  terms 
'  without  father  and  without  mother,' 
often  signify  in  the  classic  writers, 
and  in  Arabic,  (comp.  Wetstein) — for 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  Mel- 
ehisedek had  an  ancestry  as  honour- 
able as  other  kings  and  priests  of  his 
time.  The  simple  thought  is,  that  the 
name  of  his  ancestry  does  not  appear 
in  any  record  of  those  in  the  ])riest- 
ly  oftice.  ^  Without  descent.  Marg. 
pedigree.  The  Greek  word  —  aycvea- 
XdyijTOi  —  means  without  genealogy  ; 
whose  descent  is  unknown.  He  is 
merely  mentioned  himself,  and  no- 
thing is  said  of  his  family  or  of  his 
posterity.  IT  Having  neither  beginning 
of  days,  nor  end  of  life.  This  is  a 
much  more  dilHcult  expression  than 
any  of  the  others  respecting  Melehi- 
sedek. The  obvious  meaning  of  the 
phrase  is,  that  in  the  records  of  Moses, 
neither  the  beginning  nor  the  close  of 
his  life  is  mentioned.  It  is  not  said 
when  he  was  born,  or  when  he  died ; 
nor  is  it  said  that  he  was  born  cfr  that 
he  die<l.  The  apostle  adverts  to  this 
particularly,  because  it  was  so  un- 
usual in  the  records  of  Moses,  who  is 
in  general  so  careful  to  mention  the 
birth  and  death  of  the  individuals 
whose  lives  he  mentions.  Under  the 
Mosaic  dispensation  everything  re- 
specting the  duration  of  the  sacerdo- 
tal office  was  determined  accurately 
by  the  law.  In  the  time  of  Moses, 
and  by  his  arrangement,  thy  Levites 
were  required  to  serve  from  the  age 
of  thirty  to  fifty.  Num.  iv.  3.  23.  35. 
43.  47 ;  viii.  24,  25.  After  the  age 
of  fifty,  they  were  released  from  the 
more  arduous  and  severe  duties  of 
their  office.  In  later  periods  of  the 
Jewish  history  they  commenced  their 
duties  at  the  age  of  twenty.  I.  Chron. 
xxiii.  24.  27.  Tlie  priests,  also,  and 
the  high  priest  entered  on  tlieir  office 


at  thirty  years  of  age,  though  it  is 
not  su|)|)osed  that  they  retired  from 
it  at  any  particular  period  of  life 
Tlie  idea  of  the  apostle  here  is,  that 
nothing  of  this  kind  occurs  in  regard 
to  Melehisedek.  No  period  is  men- 
tioned  when  he  entered  on  his  office ; 
none  when  he  retired  from  it.  From 
anything  that  appears  in  the  sacred 
record  it  might  be  perpetual — though 
Paul  evidently  did  not  mean  to  be 
understood  as  saying  that  it  icas  so. 
It  cannot  be  that  he  meant  to  say  that 
Melehisedek  had  no  beginning  of  days 
literally,  that  is,  that  he  was  from 
eternity  ;  or  that  he  had  no  end  of  life 
literally,  that  is,  that  he  would  exist 
for  ever — for  this  would  be  to  make 
him  equal  with  God.  The  expression 
used  must  be  interpreted  according 
to  the  matter  under  discussion,  and 
that  was  the  office  of  Melchizedek  as 
a  priest.  Of  that  no  beginning  is 
mentioned,  and  no  end.  That  this  is 
the  meaning  of  Paul  there  can  be  no 
doubt ;  but  there  is  a  much  more  dif- 
ficult question  about  the  force  and 
pertinency  of  this  reasoning;  about 
the  use  which  he  means  to  make  of 
this  fact,  and  the  strength  of  the  ar- 
gument  which  he  here  designs  to  em- 
ploy. This  inquiry  cannot  be  easily 
settled.  It  may  be  admitted  undoubt. 
edly,  that  it  would  strike  a  Jew  with 
much  more  force  than  it  would  any 
other  person,  and  to  sec  its  pertinency 
we  ought  to  be  able  to  place  ourselves 
in  their  condition,  and  to  transfer  to 
ourselves  as  tar  as  possible  their  state 
of  feeling.  It  was  mentioned  in  Ps. 
ex.  4,  that  the  Messiah  was  to  be  a 
'  priest  atler  the  order  of  Melchize- 
dek.' It  was  natural  then  to  turn  to 
the  only  record  which  existed  of  him 
— the  very  brief  narrative  in  Gen.  xiv. 
There  the  account  is  simple  and  plaia 
—  that  he  was  a  pious  Canaanitish 
king,  who  officiated  as  a  priest.  la 
what  point,  then,  it  would  be  asked, 
was  the  Messiah  to  resemble  him  7 
In  his  personal  character  ;  his  office; 
his  rank;  or  in  what  he  did?  It 
would  be  natural,  then,  to  run  out  the 
parallel,  and  seize  upon  the  points  in 
which  ^lelchizedek  differed  from  the 


A.  D.  C-1.] 


CHAPTER  VII. 


15ff 


Jewish  priests  which  would  be  sug- 
gested on  reading  that  account,  for  it 
was  undoubtedly  in  those  points  that 
the  resemblance  between  Christ  and 
Melchisedek  was  to  consist.  Here 
the  record  was  to  be  the  only  guide, 
and  tlie  paints  in  which  he  dilFered 
from  the  Jewish  priesthood  according 
to  the  record,  were  such  as  these.  (1.) 
That  there  is  no  account  of  his  an- 
cestry as  a  priest — neither  father  nor 
mother  being  mentioned,  as  was  in- 
dispensable in  the  records  of  the  Le- 
vitical  priestliood.  (2.)  There  was  no 
account  of  any  descendants  in  his  of- 
fice, and  no  reason  to  believe  that  he 
had  any,  and  he  thus  stood  alone. 
(3.)  There  was  no  account  of  tlie 
commencement  or  close  of  his  office 
as  a  priest,  but  so  far  as  the  record 
goes,  it  is  just  as  it  vjould  have  been 
if  his  priesthood  had  neither  begin- 
ning nor  end.  It  was  inevitable,  there- 
fore, that  those  who  read  the  Psalm, 
and  compared  it  with  the  account  in 
Gen.  xiv.,  should  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  Messiah  was  to  resemble 
Melchisedek  in  some  such  points  as 
these  —  for  these  are  the  points  in 
which  he  ditfered  from  the  Levitical 
priesthood  —  and  to  run  out  these 
points  of  jiomparison  is  all  that  the 
apostle  has  done  here.  It  is  j"st  what 
would  be  done  by  any  Jew,  or  indeed 
by  any  other  man,  and  the  reasoning 
grew  directly  out  of  the  two  accounts 
in  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  not,  then, 
quibble  or  quirk— it  is  sound  reason- 
ing, based  on  these  two  points,  (1) 
that  it  was  said  in  the  Old  Testament 
that  the  Messiah  would  be  a  priest 
after  the  order  of  Melcliiscdek,  and 
(2)  that  the  only  points,  according  to 
the  record,  in  wJiich  there  was  any- 
^ thing  peculiar  about  the  priesthood 
^of  Melchisedek,  or  in  which  he  dif- 
fered from  the  Levitical  priestliood, 
were  such  as  those  which  Paul  speci- 
fies. He  reasons  from  the  record  ; 
and  though  there  is,  as  was  natural, 
something  of  a  Jewish  cast  about  it, 
yet  it  was  the  only  kind  of  reasoning 
that  was  possible  in  the  case.  ^  But 
made  like.  The  word  here  used  means 
to  be  made  like,  to  be  made  to  resem- 


ble ;  and  then  to  be  like,  to  be  com. 
pared  with.  Our  translation  seems 
to  imply  that  there  was  a  divine 
agency  or  intention  by  which  Mel- 
chizedek  was  made  to  resemble  the 
Son  of  God,  but  this  does  not  seein  to 
be  the  idea  of  the  apostle.  In  the 
Psalm  it  is  said  that  the  Messiah 
would  resemble  Melchisedek  in  his 
priestly  office,  and  this  is  doubtless 
the  idea  here.  Paul  is  seeking  to  il- 
lustrate  the  nature  and  perpetuity  of 
the  office  of  the  Messiah  by  compar- 
ing it  with  that  of  Melchisedek. 
Hence  he  pursues  the  idea  of  this  re- 
semblance, and  the  true  sense  of  the 
word  used  tiere  is,  '  he  was  like,  or 
he  resembled  the  Son  of  God.'  So 
Tindal  and  Coverdale  render  it,  "is 
likened  unto  the  Son  of  God."  The 
points  of  resemblance  are  those  which 
have  been  already  suggested — (1)  in 
the  name — king  of  righteousness,  and 
king  of  peace  ;  (2)  in  the  fact  that  he 
had  no  ancestors  or  successors  in  the 
priestly  ofKce  ;  (3)  that  he  was,  ac- 
cording to  the  record,  a  perpetual 
priest — there  being  no  account  of  his 
death  ;  and  perhaps  (4)  that  he  united 
in  himself  the  office  of  king  and 
priest.  It  may  be  added,  that  the 
expression  here,  '  was  made  like  unto 
the  Son  of  God,'  proves  that  he  was 
not  himself  the  Son  of  God,  as  many 
have  supposed.  How  could  he  be 
'  made  like'  himself.'  How  could  a 
comparison  be  formally  made  between 
Christ  and  himself?  ^  Abideth  a 
priest  continually.  That  is,  as  far  as 
the  record  in  Genesis  goes — for  it  was 
according  to  this  record  that  Paul  was 
reasoning.  This  clause  is  connected 
with  ver.  1 ;  and  the  intermediate 
statements  are  of  the  nature  of  a  pa- 
renthesis, containing  important  sug- 
gestions respecting  the  character  of 
Melchisedek,  which  would  be  usefvd 
in  preparing  the  readers  for  the  argu- 
ment which  the  apostle  proposed  to 
draw  from  liis  rank  and  cliaracter. 
The  meaning  is,  that  there  is  no  ac- 
count of  his  deatli,  or  of  his  ceasing 
to  exercise  the  priestly  office,  and  in 
this  respect  he  may  be  compared  with 
the    Lord   Jesus.     All   other   priests 


156 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


4  Now  consider  how  great 
this  man  was  unto  whom  even 
the  patriarch  Abraham  gave  the 
tenth  of  the  spoils. 

5  And  verily  they  that    are 

cease  to  exercise  their  office  by  death 
(ver.  23);  but  of  the  death  of  Mdchi- 
Bcdek  there  is  no  mention.  It  must 
have  been  true  that  the  priesthood  of 
Melchisedck  terminated  at  his  death  ; 
and  it  will  be  also  true  that  that  of 
Christ  will  cease  when  his  church 
shall  have  been  redeemed,  and  when 
he  shall  have  given  up  the  mediato- 
rial kingdom  to  the  Father.  I.  Cor. 
XV.  25 — 28.  The  expression,  '  abideth 
a  priest  continvally,'  therefore,  is  equi- 
valent to  saying  that  he  had  a  per- 
petual priesthood  in  contradistinction 
from  those  whose  office  terminated  at 
a  definite  period,  or  wiiose  office 
passed  over  into  the  hands  of  others. 
See  Notes  on  ver.  24. 

4.  Now  consider  how  great  this  man 
was.  The  object  of  the  apostle  was 
to  exalt  the  rank  and  dignity  of  Mel- 
chisedek.  The  Jews  had  a  profound 
veneration  for  Abraham,  and  if  it 
could  be  shown  that  Melehiscdek  was 
superior  to  Abraham,  then  it  would 
be  easy  to  demonstrate  the  superiority 
of  Christ  as  a  priest  to  all  who  de- 
scended from  Abraham.  Accordingly 
he  argues,  that  he  to  whom  even  the 
patriarch  Abraham  showed  so  much 
respect,  must  have  had  an  exalted 
rank.  Abraham,  according  to  the 
views  of  the  East,  the  illustrious  an- 
cestor of  the  Jewish  nation,  was  re- 
garded as  superior  to  any  of  iiis 
posterity,  and  of  course  was  to  be 
considered  as  of  higher  rank  and  dig- 
nity than  the  Levitical  priests  wiio 
were  descended  from  him.  ^  Even 
the  patriarch  Abraham.  One  so  great 
as  he  is  acknowledged  to  have  been. 
On  the  word  patriarch,  see  Notes  on 
Acts  ii.  29.  It  occurs  only  in  Acts 
ii.  29,  vii.  8,  9,  and  in  this  place. 
T  Gave  the  tenth  of  the  spoils.  Notes, 
ver.  2.  The  argument  here  is,  that 
Abraham  acknowledged  the  superi- 
ority of  Melclxiscdek  by  thus  devoting 


of  the  sons  of  Levi,  who"  re- 
ceive the  office  of  the  priest- 
hood, have  a  commandment  to 
take  tithes  of  the  people  accord- 


a  Nu.  18.21-26. 


the  usual  part  of  tlie  spoils  of  war,  or 
of  wlut  was  possessed,  to  God  by  his 
hands,  as  the  priest  of  the  Most  High. 
Instead  of  making  a  direct  consecra- 
tion by  himself,  he  brought  them  to 
him  as  a  minister  of  religion,  and  re- 
cognised in  him  one  who  had  a  higher 
official  standing  in  tlie  matter  of  reli- 
gion than  himself.  The  Greek  word 
here  rendered  spoils  —  aKpo&ivtov- 
means  literally,  the  top  of  the  heap^ 
from  uKpov,  top,  and  •Siv,  heap.  The 
Greeks  were  accustomed,  after  a  bat- 
tle, to  collect  the  spoils  together,  and 
throw  them  into  a  pile,  and  then,  be- 
fore they  were  distributed,  to  take  off 
a  portion  from  the  top,  and  devote  it 
to  the  gods.  Xen.  Cyro.  7.  5,  35 ;  He* 
rod.  i.  «6.  90;  viii.  121,  122;  Dion. 
Hal.  ii.  In  like  manner  it  was  eus- 
ternary  to  place  the  harvest  in  a  heap, 
and  as  the  first  thing  to  take  off  a 
portion  from  the  top  to  consecrate  as 
a-  thank-otfcring  to  God.  The  word 
then  came  to  denote  the  Jirst^fruiti 
which  were  offered  to  God,  and  then 
the  best  of  the  spoils  of  battle.  It 
has  tliat  sense  here,  and  denotes  the 
spoils  or  plunder  which  Abraham  had 
taken  of  the  discomfited  kings. 

5.  And  verily  they  that  are  of  the 
sons  of  Levi.  The  meaning  of  this 
verse  is,  that  the  Levitical  priests  had 
a  right  to  receive  tithes  of  their  breth- 
ren, but  still  that  they  were  inferior 
to  Melchisedek.  The  apostle  admits 
that  their  superiority  to  the  rest  of 
the  people  was  shown  by  the  fact  that 
they  had  a  right  to  require  of  them 
the  tenth  part  of  the  ])roductions  of 
the  land  for  their  maintenance,  and 
for  the  support  of  religion.  But  still 
he  says,  tliut  their  inferiority  to  Mel- 
chisedek, and  consequently  to  Christ 
as  a  priest,  was  shown  by  the  fact 
that  the  illustrious  ancestor  of  all  the 
Jewish  people,  including  the  priests 
as  well  as  others,  bad  confessed  kit 


A..  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VII. 


157 


ing  to  the  law,  that  is,  of  their 
brethren,  though  they  come  out 
of  the  loins  of  Abraham  : 

6  But  he,  whose '  descent  is 
not  counted  from  them,  re- 
ceived" tithes  of  Abraham,  and 
blessed  him  that  had  *  the  pro- 
mises. 

1  pedirrree. 
a  Ge.'li.  20. 


inferiority  to  Melchisedek  by  paying 
him  tithes.  ^  Who  receive  the  office 
of  the  priesthood.  Not  all  the  descen- 
dants of  Levi  were  priests.  The  apos- 
tle, therefore,  speciiies  particularly 
those  who  'received  this  office,'  as 
being  those  whom  he  specially  de- 
signed, and  as  those  whose  inferiority 
to  Christ  as  a  priest  it  was  his  object 
to  show.  IT  Have  a  commandment  to 
take  tithes.  Have  by  the  law  a  com- 
mission, or  a  right  to  exact  tithes  of 
the  people.     Deut.  xiv.  2'2.  27—29. 

6.  But  he  whose  descent  is  not 
counted  from  them.  Melchisedek.  The 
word  descent  is  in  the  margin  pedi- 
gree. The  meaning  is,  that  he  was 
not  in  the  same  genealogy — ii-h  yivtaX- 
oydxi^tvoi — he  was  not  of  the  order  of 
Levitical  priests.  That  Melchisedek 
is  meant  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  at 
the  same  time,  also,  the  thought  is 
presented  with  prominence  on  which 
Paul  so  much  insists,  that  he  was  of 
a  different  order  from  the  Levitical 
priesthood.  If  And  blessed  him.  Bless- 
ed him  as  a  priest  of  God ;  blessed 
him  in  such  a  manner  as  to  imply 
acknowledged  superiority.  See  ver.  1. 
f  That  haa  the  promises.  The  pro- 
mise that  he  should  have  a  numerous 
posterity ;  that  in  him  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  See 
ch.  vL  12—16. 

7.  And  without  all  contradiction. 
It  is  an  admitted  principle ;  a  point 
about  which  there  can  be  no  dispute. 
IT  The  less  is  blessed  of  the  better. 
The  act  of  pronouncing  a  blessing  is 
understood  to  imply  superiority  of 
rank,  age,  or  station.  So  when  a 
fe,ther  lays  his  hand  on  his  children 
and  blesses  thera,  it  is  understood  to 
14 


7  And  without  all  contradic- 
tion the  less  is  blessed  of  the 
better. 

8  And  here  men  that  die  re- 
ceive tithes ;  but  there  he  re- 
ceiveth  them,  of  whom  '  it  is 
witnessed  that  he  liveth. 

b  Eo.  9.  4. 

c  c.  5,  6. 

be  the  act  of  one  superior  in  age,  ven- 
erableness,    and    authority ;   when   a 
prophet  pronounced  a  blessing  on  the 
people,   the   same   thing  was   under 
stood,  and  the  same  is  true  also  when 
a  minister  of  religion  pronounces  a 
blessing  on  a  congregation.     It  is  the 
act  of  one  who  is  understood  to  sus- 
tain  an  office    above    the    people    on 
whom    the   blessing   is    pronounced. 
This  was  understood-  of  the  Saviour 
when  parents  brought  their  children 
to  him  to  lay  his  hands  on  them  and 
bless    them  (Matt.  xix.  13) ;  and  the 
same  was  true  of  Jacob  when  dying 
he  blessed  the  sons  of  Joseph.     Heb. 
xi.  21 ;  Gen.  xlviii.  5—20.   The  word 
less  here  means  the  one  of  inferior 
rank ;  who  is  less   in   office,  honour, 
or  age.     It  does  not  imply  inferiority 
of  moral   or   religious  character,  for 
this  is  not  the  point  under  considera- 
tion.    The    word    better  jneans    one 
who  is  of  superior  office  or  rank,  not 
one  who  has  necessarily  a  purer  or 
holier  character.     That  Melchisedek 
was  thus  superior  to  Abraham,  Paul 
says,  is  implied  by  the  very  declara- 
tion that  he  '  blessed  him.'     It  is  also 
seen  to  be  true  by  the  whole  compar- 
ison.    Abraham  was  a  petty  prince ; 
an  Emir — the  head  of  a  company  of 
Nomades,    or    migratory    shojjherds, 
having,  it  is  true,  a  large  number  of 
dependants,  but  still  not  having  the 
rank    here    given    to     Melchisedek. 
Though  called  a  prophet  (Gen.  xx.  7.), 
yet  he  is  nowhere  called  either  a  priest 
or  a  Icing.     In  these  respects,  it  was 
undoul)ted   that   he   was   inferior   to 
Melchisedek. 

8.  And  here  7nen  that   die  receive 
tithes.     Another   point  showing  the 


158 


HEBHKWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


inferiority  of  llie  Lcvitical  priesthood. 
They  wlio  thus  received  titlies,  though 
by  the  right  lo  do  this  tliey  iissertcd 
a  superiority  over  tlieir  bretlircn,  were 
mortiil.  Like  others,  they  would  soon 
die ;  and  in  rog.ird  to  tlic  most  essen- 
tial tilings  they  were  on  a  level  with 
their  brethren.  They  had  no  exenij)- 
tion  from  sickness,  atfliclion,  or  he- 
reavcuicnt,  and  death  came  to  them 
with  just  as  much  certainly  as  he 
approached  other  men.  The  mean- 
ing of  this  is,  that  they  are  mortal 
like  their  brethren,  and  the  design  is 
to  show  the  inferiority  of  their  otiice 
by  this  fact.  Its  obvious  and  natural 
signification,  in  the  apprehension  of 
the  great  mass  of  readers,  would  not 
be,  as  tlie  meaning  has  been  supposed 
to  be,  tiiat  it  refers  '  to  the  brief  and 
mutalile  condition  of  the  Lcvitical 
priesthood.'  See  Stuart  in  loco.  Such 
an  interpretation  would  not  occur  to 
any  one  if  it  were  not  to  avoid  the 
difficulty  existing  in  the  correlative 
member  of  the  verse  where  it  is  said 
of  Melehisedek  that  "he  liveth."  But 
is  the  ditficulty  avoided  then  ?  Is  it 
not  as  difficult  to  understand  what  is 
meant  by  his  having  an  immutable 
and  perpetual  priesthood,  as  it  is  to 
know  what  is  meant  by  his  not  dying 
literally  ?  Is  the  one  any  more  true 
than  the  other  ?  Whatever  difficul- 
ties, therefore,  there  may  be,  we  are 
bound  to  adhere  to  the  obvious  sense 
of  the  expression  here  ;  a  sense  which 
furnishes  also  a  just  and  forcible 
ground  of  comparison.  It  seems  to 
me,  therefore,  that  the  simple  mean- 
ing of  this  passage  is,  that,  under  the 
Lcvitical  economy,  those  who  received 
tithes  were  mortal,  and  were  thus 
placed  in  strong  contrast  with  him  of 
whom  it  was  said  '  he  liveth.'  Thus 
they  were  inferior  to  him — as  a  mor- 
tal is  inferior  to  one  who  docs  not 
die ;  and  thus  also  they  must  be  infe- 
rior to  him  who  was  made  a  priest 
aller  the  'order'  of  hini  who  thus 
'  lived.''  If  But  there.  In  contrast  with 
"  here"  in  the  same  verse.  The  refer- 
ence here  is  to  the  account  of  Mel- 
ehisedek, "//ere,"  in  the  Lcvitical 
economy,  men  received  tithes  who  arc 


mortal ;  "  there,"  in  the  account  of 
Melehisedek,  the  case  is  different. 
II  He  rcceivclh  them.  Melehisedek — 
for  so  the  connexion  evidently  de- 
mands. If  Of  whom  it  is  witnessed. 
Of  whom  the  record  is.  There  is  nat 
in  Genesis,  indeed,  any  direct  record 
that  he  lives,  but  there  is  the  absence 
of  a  record  that  he  died,  and  this 
seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  in 
fact  a  record  of  permanency  in  the 
office ;  or  as  having  an  office  which 
did  not  pass  over  to  successors  by  the 
deathof  the  then  incumbent.  ^  Tliathe 
liveth.  This  is  an  exceedingly  difficult 
expression,  and  one  which  has  always 
greatly  perplexed  commentators.  The 
fair  and  obvious  meaning  is,  that  all 
the  record  we  have  of  Melehisedek 
is,  that  he  was  '  alive  ;'  or  as  Grotius 
says,  the  record  is  merely  that  he  liv- 
ed.  We  have  no  mention  of  his  death. 
From  anything  that  the  record  shows, 
it  migiit  appear  that  he  continued  to 
live  on,  and  did  not  die.  Arguing 
from  the  record,  therefore,  there  is  a 
strong  contrast  between  him  and  the 
Lcvitical  priests,  all  of  whom  we 
know  are  mortal.  Ver.  23.  The  apos. 
tie  is  desirous  of  making  out  a  con. 
trast  between  them  and  the  priest, 
hood  of  Christ  on  this  point  among 
I  others,  and  in  doing  this,  he  appeals 
to  the  record  in  tiie  Old  Testament, 
and  says  that  there  was  a  case  which 
furnished  an  intimation  that  the  priest, 
ly  office  of  the  Messiah  was  not  to 
pass  over  from  him  to  others  by  death. 
That  case  was,  that  he  was  expressly 
compared  (Ps. ex.  4)  with  Melehisedek, 
and  that  in  the  account  of  Melchise. 
dek  there  was  no  record  of  his  death. 
As  to  the  force  of  this  argument,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  it  would  strike 
a  Jew  more  impressively  than  it  does 
most  readers  now  ;  and  it  may  not  be 
improbal)le  that  the  apostle  was  rea- 
soning from  some  interpretation  of 
the  passages  in  Gen.  xiv.  and  Ps.  ex., 
wliieh  was  tlicn  prevalent,  and  which 
would  then  be  conceded  on  all  hands 
to  be  correct.  If  this  was  the  admit, 
ted  interpretation,  and  if  there  is  no 
equivocation,  or  mere  trick  in  the  rea- 
soning— as  there  cannot  be  shown  to 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VII, 


159 


9  And  as  I  may  so  say,  Levi 


be — why  should  we  not  allow  to  the 
Jew  a  peculiarity  of  reasoning  as  we  do 
to  all  other  people  ?  There  are  modes 
of  reasoning-  and  illustration  in  all 
nations,  in  all  societies,  and  in  all  pro- 
fessions, which  do  not  strike  others 
as  very  forcible.  The  ancient  philoso- 
phers had  methods  of  reasoning  which 
now  seem  weak  to  us  ;  the  lawyer  of- 
ten argues  in  a  way  wlfich  appears 
to  be  a  mere  quirk  or  quibble,  and  so 
the  lecturer  in  science  sometimes  rea- 
sons. The  cause  of  all  this  may  not 
be  always  that  there  is  7-eal  quibble  or 
quirk,  in  the  mode  of  argumentation, 
but  that  he  who  reasons  in  this  man- 
ner has  in  his  view  certain  points 
which  he  regards  as  undisputed  whicli 
do  not  appear  so  to  us ;  or  that  he 
argues  from  what  is  admitted  in  the 
profession,  or  in  the  school  where  he 
is  taught,  which  are  not  understood 
by  those  whom  he  addresses.  To  this 
should  be  added  also  the  considera- 
tion, that  Paul  had  a  constant  refer- 
ence to  the  Messiah,  and  that  it  is 
possible  that  in  his  mind  there  was 
here  a  transition  from  the  type  to  the 
antitype,  and  that  the  language  which 
he  uses  may  be  stronger  llian  if  he 
had  been  speaking  of  the  mere  record 
of  Melchisedek  if  he  had  found  it 
standing  by  itself.  Still  his  reason- 
ing turns  mainly  on  the  fact  that  in 
the  case  of  Melchisedek  there  was  no 
one  who  had  preceded  him  in  that 
office,  and  tliat  he  had  no  successor, 
and,  in  regard  to  the  matter  in  hand, 
it  was  all  one  as  if  he  had  been  a 
perpetual  priest,  or  had  continued  still 
alive. 

9.  And  as  I  may  so  say.  So  to 
speak — ujs  cTTOi  c'lTTcn'.  For  numerous 
examples  in  the  classic  writers  of  this 
expression,  see  Wetstein  in  loc.  It  is 
used  precisely  as  it  is  with  us  when 
we  say  '  so  to  speak,'  or  '  if  I  may  be 
allowed  the  expression.'  It  is  em-, 
ployed  when  what  is  said  is  not 
strictly  and  literally  true,  but  when 
it  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  or 
when  about  the  same  idea  is  conveyed. 


also,  who  receiveth  tithes,  pay- 
ed tithes  in  Abraham.  . 


"  It  is  a  softening  down  of  an  expres- 
sion which  a  writer  supposes  his  read- 
ers may  deem  too  strong,  or  which 
may  have  the  appearance  of  excess  or 
severity.  It  amounts  to  an  indirect 
apology  for  employing  an  unusual  or 
unexpected  assertion  or  phrase."  Prof, 
Stuart.  Here  Paul  could  not  mean 
that  Levi  had  actually  paid  tithes  in 
Abraham — for  he  had  not  then  an  ex- 
istence ;  or  that  Abraham  was  his 
representative — for  there  had  been  no 
appointment  of  Abraham  to  act  in 
that  capacity  by  Levi ;  or  that  the 
act  of  Abraham  was  imputed  or  reck- 
oned to  Abraham,  for -that  was  not 
true,  and  would  not  have  been  perti- 
nent to  the  case  if  it  were  so.  But  it 
means,  that  in  the  circumstances  of 
the  case,  the  same  thing  occurred  in 
regard  to  the  superiority  of  Melchi- 
sedek, and  the  inferiority  of  the  Le- 
vitical  priesthood,  as  if  Levi  had  been 
present  with  Abraham,  and  had  him- 
self actually  paid  tithes  on  that  occa- 
sion.  This  was  so  because  Abraham 
was  tlie  distinguished  ancestor  of 
Levi,  and  when  an  ancestor  has  done 
an  act  implying  inferiority  of  rank  to 
another,  we  feel  as  if  the  whole  family 
or  all  the  descendants,  by  that  act  re- 
cognised the  inferiority,  unless  some- 
thing  occurs  to  change  tlie  relative 
rank  of  the  persons.  Here  nothing 
indicating  any  such  change  had  oc- 
curred. Melchisedek  liad  no  descend 
ants  of  which  mention  is  made,  and 
the  act  of  Abraham,  as  the  head  of 
the  Hebrew  race,  stood  therefore  as 
if  it  were  the  act  of  all  who  descended 
from  him.  IT  Levi.  The  ancestor  of 
the  whole  Levitical  priesthood,  and 
from  whom  they  received  their  name. 
He  was  the  third  son  of  Jacob  and 
Leah,  and  was  born  in  Mesopotamia. 
On  account  of  the  conduct  of  Simeon 
and  Levi  towards  Sheeheni,  for  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  treated  their 
sister  Dinah  (Gen.  xxxiv.  25),  and 
which  Jacob  characterized  as  '  cruelty' 
(Gen.  xlix.  5,  6),  Jacob  said  that 
they  should  be  '  scattered  in  IsraeL' 


IGO 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


10  For  he  was  yet  in  the 
loins  of  his  father,  when  Mel- 
chisedck  met  him. 

11  If"  therefore  perfection 
were   by  the   Levitical    priest- 

•  Ga.  2.  21.  V.  18,  19.  c.  9.  7. 

Gen.  xlix.  7.  Afterwards  the  whole 
tribe  of  Levi  was  chosen  by  God  to 
execute  the  various  functions  of  the 
priesthood,  and  were  '  scattered'  over 
the  land,  having  no  inheritance  of 
their  own,  but  deriving  their  subsist- 
ence from  the  offerings  of  tlie  people. 
Num.  iii.  6.  seq.  Levi  is  liere  spoken 
of  as  the  ancestor  of  the  tribe,  or  col- 
lectively to  denote  the  entire  Jewish 
priesthood.  ^  Who  receiveth  tithes. 
That  is,  his  descendants,  the  priests 
and  Levites,  receive  tithes.  1  Payed 
tithes  in  Abraham.  It  is  the  same  as 
if  he  had  payed  tithes  in  or  by  Abra- 
ham. 

10.  For  he  was  yet  in  the  loins  of 
his  father.  Abraham  is  here  called 
the  father  of  Levi,  by  a  common  use 
of  the  word,  referring  to  a  more  re- 
mote ancestor  than  the  literal  father. 
The  meaning  of  the  apostle  is,  that 
he  was  even  then,  in  a  certain  sense, 
in  the  loins  of  Abraham,  when  Mel- 
chisedek  met  him  ;  or  it  was  all  the 
same  as  if  he  were  there,  and  had 
then  an  existence.  The  relation  which 
sul)sisted  between  him  and  Abraham, 
in  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  im- 
plied the  same  thing  as  if  he  had  then 
been  born,  and  had  acted  for  himself 
by  paying  tithes.  Instances  of  this 
occur  constantly.  A  father  sells  a 
farm,  to  which  his  son  would  be  heir, 
and  it  is  the  same  as  if  the  son  had 
sold  it.  He  has  no  more  control  over 
it  than  if  he  had  been  present  and 
disposed  of  it  himself  A  father  ac- 
knowledges fealty  to  a  government 
for  a  certain  title  or  property  which 
is  to  descend  to  his  heirs,  and  it  is  all 
one  as  if  the  heir  had  iiimself  done  it; 
and  it  is  not  improper  to  say  that  it  is 
the  same  as  if  he  had  been  there  and 
acted  for  himself.  For  some  valuable 
remarks  on  the  nature  of  the  reason- 
ing here  employed,  see  Stuart  on  the 


hood,  (for  under  it  the  people 
received  the  law,)  what  further 
need  teas  there  that  another 
priest  should  rise  after  the  or- 
der of  Melchisedek,  and  not  bo 
called  after  the  order  of  Aaron  ? 


Hebrew's.  Excursus  xiv.  Tlie  rea- 
soning here  is,  indeed,  especially  such 
as  would  be  fitted  to  impress  a  Jewish 
mind,  and  perhaps  more  forcibly  than 
it  docs  ours.  The  Jews  valued  them- 
selves on  the  dignity  and  honour  of 
the  Levitical  priesthood,  and  it  was 
important  to  show  them  on  their  own 
principles,  and  according  to  their  own 
sacred  writings,  that  the  great  ances 
tor  of  all  the  Levitical  community  had 
himself  acknowledged  his  inferiority 
to  one  who  was  declared  also  in  their 
own  writings  (Ps.  ex.)  to  be  like  the 
Messiah,  or  who  was  of  the  same 
'  order.'  At  the  same  time,  the  rea- 
soning concedes  nothing  false ;  and 
conveys  no  wrong  impression.  It  is 
not  njere  fancy  or  accommodation, 
nor  is  it  framed  on  allegory  or  caba- 
listic principles.  It  is  founded  in 
trutli,  and  such  as  might  be  used 
anywhere,  where  regard  was  shown 
to  pedigree,  or  respect  was  claimed 
on  account  of  the  illustrious  deeds  of 
an  ancestor.  It  would  be  regarded 
as  sound  reasoning  in  a  country  like 
England,  where  titles  and  ranks  are 
recognised,  and  where  various  orders 
of  nobility  exist.  The  fact  that  a  re- 
mote ancestor  had  done  homage  or 
fealty  to  the  ancestor  of  another  class 
of  titled  birth,  would  be  regarded  as 
proof  of  acknowledged  inferiority  in 
the  familv,  and  might  be  used  with 
force  und  propriety  in  an  argument. 
Paul  has  done  no  more  than  this. 

II.  If  therefore  perfection  were  by 
the  Levitical  priesthood.  As  the  Jews 
supposed.  They  were  accustomed  to 
regard  the  system  as  perfect.  It  was 
an  appointment  of  God,  and  they 
were  tenacious  of  the  opinion  that  it 
was  to  be  permanent,  and  that  it 
needed  no  change.  But  Paul  says 
that  this  could  not  be.  Even  from 
their  own  Scriptures  it  was  appajent 


A.D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  VI. 


161 


12  For  the  priesthood  being 
changed,  there  is  made  of  ne- 
cessity a  change  also  of  the 
law. 

that  a  priest  was  to  arise  of  another 
order,  and  of  a  more  permanent  cha- 
racter, and  this  he  says  was  full  proof 
that  there  was  deject  of  some  kind  in 
the  previous  order.  What  this  defect 
was,  he  does  not  here  specify,  but  the 
subsequent  reasoning  shows  that  it 
was  in  such  points  as  these — tliat  it 
was  not  permanent ;  that  it  could  not 
make  tlie  worshippers  perfect ;  tliat 
the  blood  which  they  offered  in  saeri-. 
fice  could  not  take  away  sin,  and 
could  not  render  those  who  offered  it 
holy.  Com  p.  vs.  19.  23,  24,  ch.  x. 
1 — 4.  If  For  under  it  the  people  re- 
ceived the  law.  This  assertion  seems 
necessary  in  order  to  establish  the 
point  maintained  in  ver.  12,  that  if 
the  priesthood  is  changed  there  must 
be  also  a  change  of  the  law.  In  order 
to  this,  it  was  necessary  to  admit 
that  the  law  was  received  under  tliat 
economy,  and  that  it  was  a  part  of  it, 
so  that  the  change  of  one  involved 
also  the  change  of  the  other.  It  was 
not  strictly  true  that  tlie  whole  law 
was  given  after  the  various  orders  of 
Levitical  priests  were  established — for 
the  law  on  Sinai,  and  several  other 
laws  were  given  before  that  distinct 
arrangement  was  made  ;  but  it  was 
true  (1)  that  a  considerable  part  of 
the  laws  of  Moses  were  given  under 
that  arrangement ;  and  (2),  that  the 
whole  of  the  ceremonial  observances 
was  connected  with  that.  They  were 
parts  of  one  system,  and  mutually  de- 
pendent on  each  other.  This  is  all 
that  the  argument  demands.  ^  IMiat 
further  need  was  there,  &,c.  '  If  that 
system  would  lead  to  perfection  ;  if  it 
was  suiHcient  to  make  the  conscience 
pure,  and  to  'remove  sin,  then  there 
was  110  necessity  of  any  other.  Yet 
the  Scriptures  have  declared  that  there 
would  he  another  of  a  different  order, 
implying  that  there  was  some  defect 
in  the  former.'  This  reasoning  is 
founded  on  the  fact  that  there  was  an 
14* 


13  For  he  of  whom  these 
things  are  spoken  pertaineth  to 
another  tribe,  of  which  no  maa 
gave  attendance  at  the  altar. 


express  prediction  of  the  coming  of  a 
priest  of  a  different  'order'  (Ps.  ex.  4), 
and  that  this  fact  implied  that  there 
was  some  deficiency  in  the  former 
arrangement.  To  this  reasoning  it  is 
impossible  to  conceive  that  there  can 
be  any  objection. 

12.  For  the  priesthood  being  chang- 
ed. According  to  the  prediction  in 
Ps.  ex.,  that  it  would  be.  When  that 
occurs,  the  consequence  specified  will 
also  follow.  If  There  is  made  of  ne- 
cessity a  change  also  of  the  law.  The 
law  so  far  as  it  grew  out  of  that,  or 
was  dependent  on  it.  The  connexion 
requires  us  to  understand  it  only  of 
the  law  so  far  as  it  was  connected  loitk 
the  Levitical  priesthood.  This  could 
not  apply  to  the  ten  commandments 
— for  they  were  given  before  the  in- 
stitution  of  the  priesthood  ;  nor  could 
it  apply  to  any  other  part  of  the  moral 
law,  for  that  was  not  dependent  on 
the  appointment  of  the  Levitical 
priests.  But  the  meaning  is,  that 
since  a  large  number  of  laws — con- 
stituting a  code  of  considerable  extent 
and  importance — was  given  for  the 
regulation  of  the  priesthood,  and  in 
reference  to  the  rites  of  religion, 
which  they  were  to  observe  or  super, 
intend,  it  followed  that  when  their 
ofKce  was  superseded  by  one  of  a  wholly 
different  order,  the  law  which  had 
regulated  them  vanished  also,  or  ceas- 
ed  to  be  binding.  This  was  a  very 
important  point  in  the  introduction 
of  Christianity,  and  hence  it  is  that  it 
is  so  often  insisted  on  in  the  writings 
of  Paul.  The  argument  to  show  that 
there  had  been  a  change  or  transfer 
of  the  priestly  office,  he  proceeds  to 
establish  in  the  sequel. 

13.  For  he  of  whom  these  things  are 
spoken.  The  Lord  Jesus,  the  Mes- 
siah, to  whom  they  had  reference. 
The  things  here  spoken  of  pertain  to 
his  office  as  priest ;  his  being  of  the 
order  of  Melchisedek.     The  aposile 


16'i 


IIEBIIEWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


14  For  it  is  evident  "  that 
our  Lord  sprang  out  of  Judah  ; 
of  which  tribe  Moses  spake  no- 
thing  concerning  priesthood. 

15  And  it  is  yet  far  more 
evident :  for  that  after  the  si- 

a  Is.  11.  1,  Mat.  1.3.  Re.  5.  5. 


here  assumes  it  as  a  point  concerning 
which  there  could  be  no  dispute,  that 
these  thing's  referred  to  the  Lord  Je- 
sus. Tliosc  whom  he  addressed  would 
not  be  disposed  to  call  this  in  question, 
and  his  argument  liad  conducted  him 
lo  this  conclusion.  IT  Pertainelh  to 
another  tribe.  To  the  tribe  of  Judah. 
Ver.  ]  4.  IT  Of  which  no  man  gave  at- 
tendance at  the  altar.  The  priestly 
office  pertained  only  to  the  tribe  of 
Levi.  No  one  of  the  tribe  of  Judah 
liad  any  part  in  the  performance  of 
the  duties  of  that  office.  This  was 
settled  by  the  Jewish  law. 

14.  For  it  is  evident  that  our  Lord 
sprang  out  of  Judah.  It  is  well 
known  ;  it  cannot  be  a  matter  of  dis- 
pute. About  the  fact  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  was  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  there 
could  be  no  doubt.  Comp.  Matt.  i.  3. 
But  probably  the  apostle  means  here 
to  refer  to  more  than  that  simple  fact. 
It  was  a  doctrine  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  was  admitted  by  the  Jews, 
that  the  Messiah  was  to  be  of  that 
tribe.  See  Gen.  xlix.  10  ;  Isa.  xi.  1 ; 
Micah  V.  2;  Matt.  ii.  6.  I'his  was 
an  additional  consideration  to  show 
that  there  was  to  be  a  change  of  some 
kind  in  the  office  of  the  priesthood, 
since  it  was  declared  (Ps.  ex.)  tliat 
tlie  Messialr  was  to  be  a  priest.  The 
fact  that  the  Messiah  is  to  be  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah  is  still  admitted  by  the 
Jews.  As  their  distinction  of  tribes 
now,  however,  is  broken  up,  and  as  it 
is  impossible  for  them  to  tell  who  be- 
longs to  tiic  tribe  of  Judah,  it  is  lield 
by  them  tliat  when  he  comes  this  will 
be  made  known  hy  miracle.  IT  Of  which 
tribe  Moses  spake  nothing  concerning 
priesthood.  That  is,  in  the  Mosaic 
laws  respecting  the  office  of  priest,  this 
tribe  is  not  mentioned.     All  the  ar- 


militude  of  Melchisedek  there 
arisetli  another  priest, 

16  Who  is  made,  not  after 
the  hiw  of  a  carnal  command- 
ment, but  after  the  power  of  an 
endless  life. 


rangement3   pertain   to  the  tribe  of 
Judah. 

15.  And  it  is  yet  far  more  evident. 
Not  that  our  Lord  would  spring  out 
of  Judali,  but  the  point  which  he  was 
endeavouring  to  establish  that  there 
must  be  a  change  of  the  priesthood, 
was  rendered  still  more  evident  from 
another  consideration.  A  strong  proof 
of  the  necessity  of  such  a  change  of 
the  priestliood  was  furnished  from  the 
fact  that  the  Messiah  was  to  be  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah;  but  a  much  stronger 
because  as  a  priest  he  was  to  be  of 
the  order  of  Melchisedek  —  that  is 
he  was  of  the  same  rank  with  one 
who  did  not  even  belong  to  that  tribe. 
IT  After  the  similitude.  Resembling; 
that  is,  he  was  to  be  of  the  order  of 
Melchisedek. 

16.  Who  is  made.  That  is,  the 
other  priest  is  made,  to  wit,  the  Mes- 
siah.  He  was  made  a  priest  by  a  pe- 
culiar law.  Y  Not  after  the  law  of  a 
carnal  commandment.  Not  according 
to  the  law  of  a  commandment  per- 
taining to  the  flesh.  The  word  carnal 
means  Jleshly  ;  and  the  idea  is,  that 
the  law  under  which  the  priests  of  the 
old  dispensation  were  made  was  ex- 
ternal, rather  than  spiritual ;  it  related 
more  to  outward  observances  than  to 
the  keeping  of  the  heart.  That  this 
was  the  nature  of  the  Mosaic  ritual 
in  the  main,  it  was  impossible  to 
doubt,  and  the  apostle  proceeds  to  ar- 
guc  from  this  undeniable  truth.  IT  But 
after  the  power  of  an  endless  life.  By 
an  authority  of  endless  duration.  That 
is,  it  was  not  concerned  mainly  with 
outward  observances,  and  did  not  pass 
over  from  one  to  another  by  death, 
but  was  unchanging  in  its  character, 
and  spiritual  in  its  nature.  It  was 
enduring  and  perpetual  as  a  priest 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VII. 


169 


I  17  For  he  testifieth  «  Thou 
art  a  priest  for  ever  after  the 
order  of  Melchisedek. 

18  For  there  is  verily  a  dis- 
annulling of  the  commandment 
going  before,  for  the  weakness  * 
and  unprofitableness  thereof. 

o  Ps.  110.4.  6  Ac  13.  39. 

hood,  and  was  thus  far  exalted  above 
the  service  performed  by  the  priests 
under  the  former  dispensation. 

17.  For  he  testijielh.  '  That  this  is 
the  true  account  of  it  is  proved  by  the 
testimony  of  God  himself,  that  he  vs^as 
to  be  a  priest /or  e«er.'  See  Note  on 
ch.  V.  6. 

18.  For  there  is  verily  a  disannul, 
ling.  A  setting  aside.  The  law  which 
existed  before  in  regard  to  the  priest- 
hood becomes  now  abrogated  in  con- 
sequence of  the  change  which  has 
been  made  in  the  priesthood.  Note 
ver.  12.  IT  Of  the  commandment.  Re- 
lating to  the  office  of  priest,  or  to  the 
ceremonial  rites  in  general.  This 
does  not  refer  to  the  moral  law,  as  if 
that  was  abrogated,  for  (1),  the  rea- 
soning of  tlie  apostle  does  not  pertain 
to  that,  and  (2),  that  law  cannot  be 
abrogated.  It  grows  out  of  the  nature 
of  things,  and  must  be  perpetual  and 
universal.  ^  Going  before.  Going  be- 
fore the  Christian  dispensation  and 
introducing  it.  ^  For  the  weakness 
and  unprojitableness  thereof.  That  is, 
it  was  not  adapted  to  save  man ;  it 
had  not  power  to  accomplish  what 
was  necessary  to  be  done  in  human 
salvation.  It  answered  the  end  for 
which  it  was  designed — that  of  intro- 
ducing a  more  perfect  plan,  and  then 
vanished  as  a  matter  of  course.  It 
did  not  expiate  guilt ;  it  did  not  give 
peace  to  the  conscience ;  it  did   not 

I.  produce  perfection  (ver.  11),  and 
therefore  it  gave  place  to  a  better 
system. 

19.  For  the  law  made  nothing  per- 
fect. The  Levitical,  ceremonial  law. 
It  did  not  produce  a  perfect  state  ;  it 
did  not  do  what  was  desirable  to  be 
done  for  a  sinner.     See  Note  on  ver. 


19  For  the  law  '  made  no- 
thing perfect,  but '  the  bringing 
in  of  a  better  hope  did  ;  by  the 
which  ^  we  draw  nigh  unto  God. 

20  And  inasmuch  as  not 
without  an  oath  he  was  made 
'priest, 

c  Ro.  3.  20.        '  or,  but  it  was.        d  Eo.  5.  U. 

1 1 .  That  law,  as  such,  did  not  recon- 
cile  man  to  God ;  it  did  not  make  an 
atonement ;  it  did  not  put  away  guilt ; 
in  one  word,  it  did  not  restore  things 
to  the  condition  in  which  they  were  be- 
fore the  law  was  broken  and  man  be- 
came a  sinner.  If  man  were  saved 
under  that  system  —  as  many  un- 
doubtedly were — it  was  not  in  virtue 
of  any  intrinsic  efficacy  which  it  pos- 
sessed, but  in  virtue  of  that  great  sa- 
crifice which  it  typified.  If  But  the 
bringing  in  of  a  better  hope  did.  Marg. 
'  But  it  icas.^  The  correct  rendering 
is,  probably,  '  but  there  is  the  bring- 
iljg  in  of  a  better  hope  by  which  we 
have  access  to  God.'  The  law  could 
not  effijct  tiiis.  It  left  the  conscience 
guilty,  and  sin  unexpiated.  But  there 
is  now  the  introduction  of  a  better 
system  by  wiiich  we  can  approach  a 
reconciled  God.  The  '  better  hope' 
here  refers  to  the  more  sure  and  cer- 
tain  expectation  of  heaven  introduced 
by  the  gospel.  There  is  a  better  foun- 
dation for  hope ;  a  more  certain  way 
of  obtaining  the  divine  favour  than 
the  law  could  furnish.  ^  By  the  which. 
By  which  better  hope ;  that  is,  by 
means  of  the  ground  of  hope  fur- 
nished by  the  gospel,  to  wit,  that  God 
is  now  reconciled,  and  that  we  can 
approach  him  with  the  assurance  that 
he  is  ready  to  save  us.  IT  We  draw 
nigh  unto  God.  We  have  access  to 
him.  Notes,  Rom.  v.  1,  2. 

20.  And  inasmuch  as  not  without 
an  oath.  In  addition  to  every  other 
consideration  showing  the  superiority 
of  Christ  as  a  priest,  tliere  was  tlie 
solemnity  of  the  oath  by  which  he 
was  set  apart  to  tlie  office.  The  ap- 
pointment of  one  to  the  office  of  priest 
by  au  oath,  such  as  o*  curred  in  tliQ 


:&i 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


21  (For  those  priests  were 
made  without  '  an  oath  ;  but 
this  with  an  oath  by  him  that 
said  unto  him,"  'I'he  Lord  sware 
and  will  not  repent,  Thou  art  a 

1  or,  swearing  of  an  oath. 


case  of  Jesus,  was  much  more  solemn 
and  important  than  where  the  ot&ce 
was  received  merely  by  descent. 

21.  For  those  piicsts  were  made 
without  an  oath.  The  Levitical  priests 
were  set  apart  and  consecrated  with- 
out their  office  being  confirmed  to 
them  by  an  oath  on  tlie  part  of  God. 
They  received  it  by  regular  descent, 
and  when  they  arrived  at  a  suitable 
age  they  entered  on  it  of  course.  Je- 
sus received  his  office  by  special  ap- 
pointment, and  it  was  secured  to  him 
by  an  oath.  The  word  rendered  '  oath' 
is  in  the  margin  swearing  of  an  oath. 
This  is  the  proper  meaning  of  the 
Greek  word,  but  the  sense  is  not  ma- 
terially varied.  ^  But  this  with  an 
odth.  This  priest,  the  Lord  Jesus, 
became  a  priest  in  virtue  of  an  oath. 
^  The  Lord  sware.  Note  ch.  vi.  13. 
Tiie  reference  here  is  to  Psalm  ex.  4. 
"  The  Lord  hath  sworn."  H  And  will 
not  repent.  That  is,  will  not  regret, 
or  will  not  alter  his  mind  through  re- 
gret— for  this  is  tiie  meaning  of  the 
Greek  word. 

22.  By  so  much.  Inasmuch  as  an 
oath  is  more  solemn  than  a  mere  ap- 
pointment. The  meaning  is,  that 
there  is  all  the  additional  security  in 
the  suretyship  of  Jesus  which  arises 
from  the  solemnity  of  an  oath.  It  is 
not  implied  that  God  would  not  be 
true  to  his  mere  promise,  but  the  ar- 
gument here  is  derived  from  the  cus- 
tom of  speaking  among  men.  An 
oath  is  regarded  as  much  more  sa- 
cred and  binding  than  a  mere  pro- 
mise, and  the  fact  that  God  has  sworn 
in  a  given  case  furnishes  the  highest 
security  that  what  he  has  promised 
will  be  performed.  ^  Was  Jesus  made 
a  surety.  The  word  suretij — eyyvof — 
occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, nor  is  it  found  in  the  Septua- 
gint     It   properly  means,  a    bonds- 


priest  for  ever  after  the  order 
of  Melchisedek ;) 

22  By  so  much  was  Jesus 
made  a  surety  of  a  better  *  tes- 
tament. 


a  Pa.  110.4. 


b  c.  8.  6. 


man  ;  one  who  pledges  his  name,  pro- 
perty, or  influence,  that  a  certain 
thing  shall  be  done.  When  a  con- 
tract is  made,  a  debt  contracted,  or  a 
note  given,  a  friend  oflen  becomes  the 
security  in  the  case,  and  is  himself 
responsible  if  the  terms  of  the  con- 
tract are  not  complied  with.  In  the 
case  of  the  new  covenant  between 
God  and  man,  Jesus  is  the  '  security' 
or  the  bondsman.  But  of  what,  and 
to  whom,  is  he  the  surety  ?  It  cannot 
be  that  he  is  a  bondsman  for  God 
that  he  will  maintain  the  covenant, 
and  be  true  to  the  promise  which  he 
makes,  as  Crellius  supposes,  for  we 
need  no  such  '  security'  of  the  divine 
faithfulness  and  veracity.  It  cannot 
be  that  he  becomes  responsible  for  the 
divine  conduct  in  any  way — for  no 
such  responsibility  is  needed  or  pos- 
sible. But  it  must  mean  that  he  is 
the  security  or  bondsman  on  the  part 
of  man.  He  is  the  pledge  that  we 
shall  be  saved.  He  becomes  responsi- 
ble, so  to  speak,  to  law  and  justice,  that 
no  injury  shall  be  done  by  our  salva- 
tion, though  we  are  sinners.  He  is  not 
a  security  that  we  shall  be  saved  at 
any  rate,  without  holiness,  repentance, 
faith,  or  true  religion — for  he  never 
could  enter  into  a  suretyship  of  that 
kind :  but  his  suretyship  extends  to 
this  point,  tliat  the  law  shall  be  iio. 
noured ;  that  all  its  demands  shall  be 
met ;  tliat  we  may  be  saved  though 
we  have  violated  it,  and  that  its  terri- 
fic penalty  shall  not  fall  upon  us. 
The  case  is  tiiis.  A  sinner  becomes 
a  true  penitent  and  enters  heaven. 
It  might  be  said  that  he  does  this 
over  a  broken  law ;  that  God  treats 
the  good  and  bad  alike,  and  tliat  ne 
respect  has  been  paid  to  the  law  or 
the  penalty  in  his  salvation.  Here 
the  Great  Surety  comes  in,  and  says 
that  it  is  not  so.     He  has  become  re. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VII. 


165 


23  And  they  truly  were  many 
priests,  because  they  were  not 
suffered  to  continue  by  reason 
of  death  : 

I  or,  which  passeth  not  from  one  to  another. 

sponsible  for  this ;  lie  the  surety,  the 
pledge,  that  all  proper  honour  shall  be 
paid  to  justice,  and  that  the  same 
good  effects  shall  ensue  as  if  the  pe- 
nalty of  the  law  had  been  fully  borne. 
He  himself  has  died  to  honour  the 
law,  and  to  open  a  way  by  which  its 
penalty  may  be  fully  remitted  con- 
sistently with  justice,  and  he  becomes 
the  everlasting  pledge  or  security  to 
law,  to  justice,  to  the  universe,  that 
no  injury  shall  result  from  the  pardon 
and  salvation  of  the  sinner.  Accord- 
ing to  this  view,  no  man  can  rely  on 
the  suretyship  of  Jesus  but  he  who 
expects  salvation  on  the  terms  of  the 
gospel.  The  suretyship  is  not  at  all 
that  he  shall  be  saved  in  his  sins,  or 
that  he  shall  enter  heaven  no  matter 
what  life  he  leads ;  it  is  only  that  if 
he  believes,  repents,  and  is  saved,  no 
injury  shall  be  done  to  the  universe ; 
no  dishonour  to  the  law.  For  this 
the  Lord  Jesus  is  responsible.  If  Of 
a  better  testament.  Rather,  '  of  a 
better  covenant.^  The  former  cove- 
nant was  that  which  God  made  with 
his  people  under  the  Mosaic  dispen- 
sation ;  the  new  covenant  is  that  made 
by  means  of  Christ.  This  is  better 
because  (1)  the  terms  are  more  simple 
and  easy ;  (2)  the  observances  and 
rites  are  much  less  onerous  and  hard  ; 
(3)  it  relates  to  all  men,  not  being 
confined  to  the  Jewish  people ;  (4)  it 
is  now  sure.  The  former  was  admi- 
nistered through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  Levitical  priesthood,  this  by 
the  Son  of  God ;  that  was  transitory 
and  changing,  this  is  permanent  and 
eternal. 

23.  And  they  truly.  Under  tlie 
Jewish  dispensation.  The  object  of 
this  verse  and  the  following  is,  to 
state  one  more  reason  of  the  excel- 
lence of  the  priesthood  of  Christ.  It 
is,  that  owing  to  the  frailty  of  human 
nature,  and  the  shortness  of  life,  the 


24  But  this  man,  because  he 
continueth  ever  hath  an '  un- 
changeable "  priesthood. 

25  Wherefore  he  is  able '  also 

a  1  Sa.  2.  35.  b  Jude  24. 


office  of  priest  there  was  continually 
changing.  But  here  there  was  no 
such  change.  Christ,  being  exalted 
to  the  heavens  to  live  for  ever  there, 
has  now  an  unchangeable  priesthood, 
and  everything  in  regard  to  his  office 
is  permanent. 

24.  But  this  man.  Gr.  '  But  he' — 
referring  to  Christ.  ^  Because  he 
continueth  ever.  Gr.  'Because  he  re- 
mains for  ever.'  The  idea  is,  because 
he  does  not  die,  but  ever  lives,  he 
has  an  unchanging  priesthood.  There 
is  no  necessity  that  he  should  yield 
it  to  others,  as  was  the  case  with  the 
Jewish  priests  because  they  were 
mortal.  The  reason,  in  their  case, 
why  it  passed  to  others,  was  not  that 
they  did  not  perform  the  office  well, 
but  that  they  were  mortal,  and  could 
not  continue  to  hold  it.  But  this  rea- 
son could  not  operate  in  the  case  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  therefore  his 
priesthood  would  be  permanent.  ^Hath 
an  unchangeable  priesthood.  Marg. 
'  or,  which  passeth  not  from  one  to  an. 
other.''  The  margin  expresses  the 
sense  of  the  passage.  The  idea  is  not 
strictly  that  it  was  unchangeable,  but 
that  it  did  not  pass  over  into  other 
hands.  The  Levitical  priesthood  pass- 
ed  from  one  to  another  as  successive 
generations  came  on  the  stage  of  ac- 
tion. This  reasoning  is  not  designed 
to  prove  that  the  priesthood  of  Christ 
will  be  literally  eternal  —  for  its  ne- 
cessity  may  cease  when  all  the  re- 
deemed are  in  heaven — but  that  it 
is  permanent,  and  does  not  pass  from 
hand  to  hand. 

25.  Wherefore  he  is  able  also.  As 
he  ever  lives,  and  ever  intercedes,  he 
has  power  to  save.  He  does  not  be- 
gin the  work  of  salvation,  and  then 
relinquish  it  by  reason  of  death,  but 
he  lives  on  as  long  as  it  is  necessary 
that  anything  should  be  done  for  the 
salvation  of  his  people.     We  need  a 


166 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


to  save  them  '  to  the  uttermost 
that  come  unto  God  by  him, 
Beeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession  "  for  them. 

I  or,  evermore. 

a  Ro.  8.  34 ;  1  Jno.  2. 1. 

Saviour  who  has  power,  and  Christ 
has  shown  tliat  he  has  all  the  power 
which  is  needful  to  rescue  man  from 
eternal  death.  IT  To  the  uttermost. 
Tliis  does  not  mean  simply  for  ever — 
but  that  he  has  power  to  save  them  so 
that  their  salvation  shall  be  complete — 
tli  TO  TTai'Tc\h.  He  docs  not  abandon 
tlie  work  midway  ;  he  does  not  begin 
a  work  wiiich  he  is  imablc  to  finish. 
He  can  aid  us  as  long  as  wc  need 
anything-  done  for  our  salvation ;  he 
can  save  all  who  will  entrust  thtir 
salvation  to  liis  hands.  IT  That  come 
vnto  God  by  him.  In  his  name ;  or 
depending  on  him.  To  come  to  God, 
is  to  approach  him  for  pardon  and 
salvation.  T  Seeing  he  ever  liveth. 
He  does  not  die  as  the  Jewish  priests 
did.  If  To  make  intercession  for  them. 
See  Note  Rom.  viii.  34.  He  constant- 
ly presents  the  merits  of  his  death 
as  a  reason  why  we  should  be  saved. 
The  precise  mode,  however,  in  which 
he  makes  intercession  in  heaven  for 
his  people  is  not  revealed.  The  gen- 
eral meaning  is,  that  he  undertakes 
their  cause,  and  assists  them  in  over- 
coming their  foes  and  in  their  endca- 
vours  to  live  a  holy  life.  Comp.  I. 
John  ii.  1.  He  docs  in  heaven  what- 
ever is  necessary  to  obtain  for  us 
grace  and  strength ;  secures  the  aid 
which  we  need  against  our  foes ;  and 
is  the  pledge  or  security  for  us  that 
the  law  shall  be  honoured,  and  tlie 
justice  and  truth  of  God  maintained, 
though  we  are  saved.  It  is  reasona- 
ble to  presume  tliat  this  is  somehow 
Dy  the  presentation  of  the  merits  of 
his  great  sacrifice,  and  that  that  is 
the  ground  on  which  all  this  grace 
is  obtained.  As  that  is  infinite,  we 
need  not  fear  that  it  will  over  be  e.x- 
haustcd. 

26.  For  such  an  High  Priest  be- 
came us.   Was  fitted  to  our  condition. 


26  For  such  an  high  priest 
became  us,  who  is  holy,  *  harm- 
less, undefiled,  separate  from 
sinners,  and  made  higher  than 
the  heavens ; 

be.  4.  15;  ]  Pe.  2.  22. 

That  is,  there  was  that  in  our  char- 
acter and  circumstances  which  de- 
manded that  a  high  priest  for  Uf» 
should  be  personally  holy.  It  was 
not  requisite  merely  tiiat  he  should 
liavc  great  power ;  or  that  he  should 
be  of  a  rank  superior  to  that  of  the 
Jewish  priesthood ;  but  tlicrc  was  a 
special  propriety  that  he  should  sur- 
pass all  others  in  vioral  purity.  Other 
priests  were  mere  mortal  men,  and  it 
was  necessary  that  their  office  should 
pass  to  otlier  hands  :  they  were  sinful 
men  also,  and  it  was  necessary  that 
sacrifices  should  be  made  for  them- 
selves as  well  as  others.  We  need, 
however,  a  ditferent  priest.  We  need 
not  only  one  who  ever  lives,  but  one 
who  is  perfectly  holj',  and  who  has 
no  need  to  bring  an  offering  ibr  him- 
selfj  and  all  the  merit  of  whose  sacri- 
fice, therefore,  may  be  ours.  Such  an 
high  priest  we  have  in  the  person  of 
the  Lord  Jesus ;  and  there  is  no  truth 
more  interesting,  and  no  proposition 
more  susceptible  of  proof,  than  that 

HE  IS  EXACTLY  FITTED  TO  MAN.      In  his 

moral  character,  and  in  the  great 
work  which  he  has  accomplished,  he 
is  just  such  a  .Saviour  as  is  adapted  to 
the  wants  of  ignorant,  fallen,  wretch- 
ed, sinful  man.  He  is  benevolent, 
and  pities  our  woes  ;  wise,  and  is  able 
to  enlighten  our  ignorance  ;  compas- 
sionate, and  ready  to  forgive  our  faults. 
He  has  made  such  a  sacrifice  as  was 
necessary  to  put  away  our  guilt,  and 
offers  such  intercession  as  we  need  to 
have  offered  for  us  in  order  that  we 
may  be  preserved  from  falling.  If  Who 
is  holy.  Not  merely  outwardly  right- 
eous, but  pure  in  heart.  If  Harm- 
less. Not  injuring  any  one.  To  no 
one  did  he  do  wrong.  Neither  to  their 
name,  person,  or  property,  did  he  ever 
do  injuiy;  nor  will  he  ever.  He  ia 
tiic  only  one  who  has  lived  on  earth  of 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  VII. 


167 


27  Who  needeth  not  daily, 
as  those  high  priests,  to  ofi'er  up 
sacrifice,  first  "  for  his  own  sins, 
and  then  for  the  people's :  for 
this  he  did  once,  when  he  offer- 
ed up  himself. 

a  Le.  9.  7. 

whom  it  could  be  said  that  he  never, 
in  any  way,  did  wrong  to  another. 
IT  Undcjiled.  By  sin  ;  by  any  impro- 
per desire  or  passion.  He  was  un- 
stained by  crime;  'unspotted  from 
the  world.'  Sin  always  defiles  the 
soul ;  but  from  every  such  pollution 
the  Lord  Jesus  was  free.  If  Separate 
from  sinners.  TJiat  is,  he  did  not 
associate  with  liieni  as  such.  He  did 
not  partake  of  their  feelings,  plans, 
pleasures.  Though  he  mingled  with 
them,  yet  it  was  merely  to  do  them 
good,  and  in  all  his  life  there  was  an 
entire  separation  from  the  feelings, 
principles,  and  views  of  a  sinful  world. 
IT  And  made  higher  than  the  heavens. 
Exalted  above  the  visible  heavens ; 
that  is,  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  See 
Notes  on  Eph.  i.  21 ;  Phil.  ii.  9.  We 
needed  a  high  priest  who  is  thus  ex- 
alted that  he  may  manage  our  cause 
before  the  throne  of  God. 

27.  Who  needeth  not  daily,  as  those 
high  priests.  As  the  Jewish  priests. 
This  is  an  additional  circumstance 
introduced  to  show  tlie  superior  ex- 
cellency of  the  High  Priest  of  the 
Christian  profession,  and  to  shovs'  also 
how  he  was  fitted  to  our  wants.  The 
Jewish  high  priest  was  a  sinful  man. 
He  had  the  same  fallen  and  corrupt 
nature  as  others.  He  needed  an  ex- 
piatory sacrifice  for  his  own  sins  as 
really  as  they  did  for  theirs.  When 
he  approached  God  to  offer  sacrifice, 
it  was  needful  to  make  an  atonement 
for  himself,  and  when  all  was  done 
it  was  still  a  sacrifice  offered  by  a  sin- 
ful man.  But  it  was  not  so  in  the 
case  of  Jesus.  He  was  so  holy  that 
he  needed  no  sacrifice  for  himself,  and 
all  that  he  did  was  in  behalf  of  others. 
Besides,  it  was  necessary  that  the 
sacrifices  in  the  Jewish  service  should 
be  constantly  repeated.     They  were 


28  For  the  law  maketh  men 
high  priests  which  have  infirm- 
ity ;  but  the  word  of  the  oath, 
which  was  since  the  law,  maketh 
the  Son,  who  is  '  consecrated 
for  evermore. 

1  or,  perfected. 


imperfect.  They  were  mere  types  and 
shadows.  They  who  offered  them 
were  frail,  sinfiil  men.  It  became 
necessary,  therefore,  to  repeat  them 
every  day  to  keep  up  the  proper  sense 
of  their  transgressions,  and  to  furnish 
a  suitable  acknowledgment  of  the  ten- 
dency to  sin  alike  among  the  people 
and  the  priests.  Neither  in  the  na- 
ture of  the  offering,  nor  in  the  char- 
acter of  those  who  made  it,  was  there 
any  sufficient  reason  why  it  should 
cease  to  be  offered,  and  it  was  there- 
fore repeated  day  by  day.  But  it  was 
not  so  with  the  Lord  Jesus.  The 
offering  which  he  made,  though  pre- 
sented but  once,  was  so  ample  and  per- 
fect that  it  had  sufficient  merit  for  all 
the  sins  of  the  world,  and  needed  ne- 
ver to  be  repeated. — It  is  not  proba- 
ble that  the  Jewish  higli  priest  him- 
self personally  officiated  at  the  offer- 
ing of  sacrifice  every  day ;  but  the 
meaning  here  is,  that  it  was  done 
daily,  and  that  there  was  need  of  a 
daily  sacrifice  in  his  behalf  As  one 
of  the  Jewish  people,  the  sacrifice  was 
ofTered  on  his  accomit  as  well  as  on 
the  account  of  others — for  he  partook 
of  the  common  infirmities  and  sin- 
fulness of  the  nation.  IT  For  this  he 
did  once.  That  is,  once  for  all  — 
lipd-na^.  He  made  such  an  atonement 
that  it  was  not  needful  that  it  siiould 
be  repeated.  Thus  he  put  an  end  to 
sacrifice,  for  when  he  made  the  great 
atonement  it  was  complete,  and  there' 
was  no  need  that  any  more  blood 
should  be  shed  for  human  guilt. 

28.  For  the  laic.  The  ceremonial 
law.  ^  Wliich  have  infirmity.  Who 
are  weak,  frail,  sinful,  dying.  Such 
were  all  who  were  appointed  to  the 
office  of  priest  under  the  Jewish  law. 
IT  But  the  word  of  the  oath.  By  which 
one  was  appointed  after  the  order  of 


168 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


Melcliisedek.  Nolc,vcr.21.  ITMakcth 
the  Son.  The  Son  of  God.  That  ap- 
pointment has  resulted  in  his  being  set 
apart  to  this  work.  H  W/io  is  conse- 
crated for  evermore.  Marg.  Perfect- 
ed. See  Note  cli.  ii.  10.  The  idea 
is,  that  the  appointment  is  complete 
and  permanent.  It  docs  not  pass 
from  one  to  the  other.  It  is  perfeet 
in  all  the  arrangements,  and  will  re- 
main so  for  ever. 

REMARKS. 

The  subjeet  of  this  chapter  is  the 
exalted  high-priesthood  of  the  Re- 
deemer. This  is  a  subject  which  per- 
tains to  all  Christians,  and  to  all  men. 
All  religions  imply  the  prieetly  office  ; 
all  suppose  sacrifice  of  some  kind.  In 
regard  to  the  priestly  office  of  Christ 
as  illustrated  in  this  chapter,  we  may 
observe, 

(I.)  He  stands  alone.  In  that  office 
he  had  no  predecessor,  and  has  no 
one  to  succeed  him.  In  this  respect 
he  was  without  father,  mother,  or  de- 
scent— and  he  stands  in  lonely  ma- 
jesty as  the  only  one  who  sustains 
the  office.  Ver.  3. 

(2.)  He  is  superior  to  Abraham. 
Abraham  never  laid  claim  to  the  of- 
fice of  priest,  but  he  recognised  his 
inferiority  to  one  whom  the  Messiah 
was  to  resemble.     Vs.  2.  4. 

(3.)  He  is  superior  to  all  the  Jew- 
ish priesthood  —  sustaining  a  rank, 
and  performing  an  office  above  them 
all.  The  great  ancestor  of  all  the 
Levitical  priests  recognised  his  infe- 
riority to  one  of  the  rank  or  '  order' 
of  which  the  Messiah  was  to  be,  and 
received  from  him  a  blessing.  In  our 
contemplation  of  Christ,  therefore,  as 
priest,  we  have  the  privilege  of  regard- 
in<r  him  as  superior  to  the  Jewish 
high  priest— exalted  as  was  his  office, 
and  important  as  were  the  functions 
of  his  office;  as  more  grand,  more 
pure,  more  worthy  of  confidence  and 
love. 

(4.)  The  great  High  Priest  of  the 
Christian  profession  is  the  only  per- 
fect priest.  Vs.  11.19.  The  Jewish 
priests  were  all  imperfect  and  sinfiil 
men.     The  sacrifices  which  they  of- 


fered were  imperfect,  and  could  not 
give  j)eace  to  the  conscience.  There 
was  need  of  some  better  system,  and 
they  all  looked  forward  to  it.  But  in 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  in  his  work,  there 
is  absolute  perfection.  What  he  did 
was  complete,  and  his  office  needs  no 
change. 

(5.)  The  office  now  is  permanent. 
It  does  not  change  from  hand  to  hand. 
Vs.  23, 24.  He  who  sustains  this  office 
does  not  die,  and  we  may  ever  apply  to 
him,  and  cast  our  cares  on  him.  Men 
die  ;  one  generation  succeeds  another ; 
but  our  High  Priest  is  the  same.  We 
may  trust  in  him  in  whom  our  fathers 
found  peace  and  salvation,  and  then 
we  may  teach  our  children  to  confide 
in  the  same  High  Priest — and  so  send 
the  invaluable  lesson  down  to  latest 
generations. 

(6.)  His  work  is  firm  and  sure. 
Vs.  20^22.  His  office  is  founded  on 
an  oatli,  and  he  has  become  the  secu- 
rity for  all  who  will  commit  their 
cause  to  him.  Can  great  interests 
like  those  of  the  soul  be  entrusted  to 
better  hands  ?  Are  they  not  safer  in 
his  keeping  than  in  our  own  ? 

(7.)  He  is  able  to  save  to  the  utter- 
most. Ver.  25.  That  power  he  show- 
ed when  he  was  on  earth ;  that  power 
he  is  constantly  evincing.  No  one 
has  asked  aid  of  him  and  found  him 
unable  to  render  it ;  no  one  has  been 
suffered  to  sink  down  to  hell  because 
his  arm  was  weak.  What  he  has 
done  for  a  few  he  can  do  for  "  all ;" 
and  they  who  will  entrust  themselves 
to  him  will  find  him  a  sure  Saviour. 
Why  will  not  men  then  be  persuaded 
to  commit  themselves  to  him  ?  Can 
they  save  themselves  ?  Where  is  there 
one  who  has  shown  that  he  was  able 
to  do  it  ?  Do  they  not  need  a  Saviour  ? 
Let  the  history  of  the  world  answer. 
Can  man  conduct  his  own  cause  be- 
fore God  ?  How  weak,  ignorant,  and 
blind  is  he ;  how  little  qualified  for 
such  an  office  I  Has  any  one  suffered 
wrong  by  committing  himself  to  the 
Redeemer  ?  If  there  is  such  an  one, 
where  is  he  ?  Who  has  ever  made 
this  complaint  that  has  tried  it  ?  Who 
ever  will  make  it  ?    In  countless  mil- 


A.  D.  €4.j 


CHAPTER  VII. 


169 


lions  of  instances,  the  trial  has  been 
made  whether  Cliriet  was  'able  to 
save.'  Men  have  gone  with  a  trou- 
bled spirit ;  with  a  guilty  conscience  ; 
and  with  awful  apprehensions  of  the 
wrath  to  come,  and  have  asked  him 
to  save  tliem.  Not  one  of  those  who 
have  done  this  has  found  reason  to 
doubt  his  ability ;  not  one  has  re- 
gretted that  he  has  committed  the 
deathless  interest  of  the  soul  into  his 
hands. 

(8.)  Christ  saves  to  the  uttermost. 
Ver.   25.     He   makes    the   salvation 
complete.     So  the   Bible   assures  us ; 
and  so  we  see  it  in  fact  as  far  we  can 
trace   the   soul.     When    a   Christian 
friend  dies,  we  stand  at  his  bed-side 
and  accompany  him  as  far  as  we  can 
into  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 
We  ask   him  whether  he  feels    that 
Christ  is  able  to  save?     He  replies, 
'  yes:     When  he  has  lost  the  power 
of  speaking  above  a  whisper,  we  ask 
him  the  same  question,  and  receive 
the  same  reply.     When  he  gives  us 
the  parting  hand,  and  we,  still  anxious 
to  know  whether  aM  is  well,  ask  the 
same  question,  a  sign,  a  smile,  a  light- 
ing up  of  the  dying  eye,  declares  that 
all  is  well.     As  far  as  we  can  trace 
the  departing  soul  when  it  goes  into 
the  dark  valley,  we  receive  the  same 
assurance  ;  and  why  should  we  doubt 
that  tlie  same  grace  is  bestowed  fur- 
ther onward,  and  that  he  saves  '  to  the 
uttermost  V  But  what  else  thus  saves  ? 
Friends  give  the  parting  hand  at  the 
gloomy  entrancff  to  that  valley,  and 
tlie  gay  and  tlie  worldly  coolly  turn 
away.     The    delusions    of   infidelity 
tliere  forsake  the  soul,  and  minister 
no    comfort    then.     Flatterers    turn 
away  from  the  dying  scene — for  who 
flatters  the  dying  with  the  praise  of 
beauty  or  accomplishments  ?     Taste, 
skill,  learning,  talent,  do  not  help  then, 
for  hoV  can  they  save  a  dying  soul  ? 
None  but  Jesus  saves  to  the  '  utter- 
most ;'  no  other  friend   but  he  goes 
with  us  entirely  through  the  valley  of 
death.     Is  it  not  better  to  have  such 
a   friend  than  to  go    alone  through 
that  dark,  gloomy  path  ?     Any  other 
gloomy  and  dangerous  way  may  be 
15 


more  safely  trod  without   a  friend, 
than  the  vale  of  death. 

(9.)  The  Christian  religion  is  fitted 
to  our  condition.  Vs.  26,  27.  It  has 
just  such  a  High  Priest  as  we  need — 
holy,  harmless,  undefiled.  Just  such 
an  atonement  has  been  made  as  is 
necessary — ample,  rich,  full,  and  not 
needing  to  be  made  again.  It  reveals 
just  such  truth  as  we  want — that  re- 
specting the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
and  the  glorious  state  of  the  redeemed 
beyond  the  grave.  It  imparts  just 
such  consolation  as  is  fitted  to  our 
condition — pure,  rich,  unfailing,  ele- 
vating. It  reconciles  us  to  God  just 
as  it  should  be  done — in  such  a  way 
that  God  can  be  honoured,  and  the 
purity  and  dignity  of  his  law  main- 
tained. It  is  the  religion  adapted  to 
dying',  ignorant,  sinful,  wretched  man, 
No  other  system  so  much  consults 
tlie  true  dignity  of  our  nature,  and 
the  honour  of  God ;  no  one  diffuses 
such  consolations  through  the  life 
that  is,  or  fills  with  such  hopes  in  re- 
gard  to  the  life  to  come. 

(10.)  Since,  then,  we  have  now  such 
a  Great  High  Priest ;  since  the  pro- 
mises of  the  gospel  are  settled  on  so 
firni  a  foundation  ;  and  since  the  gos- 
pel in  its  provisions  of  mercy  is  all  that 
we  can  desire  it  to  be,  let  us  yield 
our  hearts  entirely  to  the  Saviour,  and 
make  this  salvation  wholly  ours.  We 
have  the  privilege,  if  we  will,  of  draw- 
ing near  to  God  with  boldness.  We 
may  come  near  his  throne.  Though 
we  are  poor,  and  sinful,  and  deserve 
neither  notice  nor  mercy,  yet  we  may 
come  and  ask  for  all  that  we  need. 
We  may  go  to  God,  and  supplicate 
his  favour,  with  the  assurance  that 
he  is  ready  to  hear.  We  may  go 
feeling  that  the  great  atonement  has 
been  made  for  our  sins,  and  that  no 
other  offering  is  now  needed ;  that 
the  last  bloody  offering  which  God 
required  has  been  presented,  and  that 
all  that  he  now  asks  is  the  sacrifice 
of  a  contrite  and  a  grateful  heart.  All 
that  was  needful  to  be  done  on  the 
part  of  God  to  provide  a  way  of  sal- 
vation has  been  done ;  all  that  re- 
mains  is  for  man  to  forsake  his  sins 


170 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.'64. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

NOW  of  the  tilings  which  we 
have    spoken  this   is    the 
sum :    We  have  such  an    high 

and  to  come  back  to  a  God  who  waits 
to  bo  gracious. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

ANALYSIS  OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

This  chapter  is  a  continuation  of 
the  argument  which  has  been  prose- 
cuted in  the  previous  chapters  re- 
specting the  priesthood  of  Christ. 
The  apostle  had  demonstrated  that 
he  was  to  be  a  priest,  and  that  he  was 
to  be,  not  of  tlie  Leviticai  order,  hut 
of  the  order  of  Melchisedck.  As  a 
consequence,  he  had  proved  that  this 
involved  a  change  of  the  law  appoint- 
ing the  priesthood,  and  that  in  re- 
spect to  permanency,  and  happy  moral 
influence,  the  priestliood  of  Christ  far 
surpassed  the  Jewish.  This  thought 
he  pursues  in  this  chapter,  and  shows 
particularly  that  it  involved  a  change 


priest,  who  "  is  set  on  the  right 
iiand  of  the  throne  of  the  Ma- 
jesty in  the  heavens ; 

a  Ep.  1. 20. 

tlie  soul,  and  the  law  of  that  covenant 
was  written  there.  Vs.  7 — 10.     (c)  It 
was  connected  with  the  diffusion  of 
the  knowledge  of  tlic  Lord  among  all 
classes  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  ■ 
Ver.  11.   (rf)  The  evidence  of  forgive- 
ness might  be  made  more  clear  than 
it  was  under  the  old  dispensation,  and 
the  way  in  which  sins  are  pardoned 
be    much    better    understood.     Ver. 
12.      These    considerations    involved 
the  consequence,  also,  which  is  stated 
in  ver.  13,  that  the  old  covenant  was 
of  necessity  about  to  vanish  away. 

1.  Now  of  the  thin<rs  which  we  have 
spoken.  Or,  '  of  the  things  of  which 
we  are  speaking'  (Stuart) ;  or  as  we 
should  say,  of  what  is  said.  The 
Greek  does  not  necessarily  mean 
things  that  had  been  spoken,  but  may 
refer  to  all  that  he  was  saying,  taking 


in  the  nature  of  the  covenant  between  { the  whole  subject  into  consideration 


God  and  his  people.  In  the  prosecu- 
tion of  this,  he  (1.)  states  tlic  sum  or 
principal  point  of  the  whole  matter 
under  discussion — tliat  the  priesthood 
of  Christ  was  real  and  permanent, 
while  that  of  the  Hebrew  economy 
was  typical,  and  was  destined  in  its 
own  nature  to  be  temporary.  Vs.  1 — 3. 
(•2.)  There  was  a  fitness  and  propriety 
in  his  being  removed  to  heaven  to 
perform  the  functions  of  his  otBce 
there — since  if  he  had  remained  on 
earth  he  could  not  have  ofliciated  as 
priest,  that  duly  being  by  the  law  of 
Moses  entrusted  to  others  pertaining 
to  another  tribe.  Vs.  4,  5.  (3.)  Christ 
had  obtained  a  more  exalted  ministry 
than  the  Jev.ish  priests  held,  because 
he  was  the  Mediator  in  a  better  cove- 
nant— a  covenant  that  related  rather 
to  the  heart  than  to  external  observ- 
ances. Vs.  6 — 13.  That  new  cove- 
nant excelled  the  old  in  the  following 
respects  : — (a)  It  was  established  on 
better  promises.  Ver,  6.  (A)  It  was 
not  a  Covenant  requiring  mainly  ex- 
ternal observances,  but  pertained  to 


If  This  is  the  sum.     Or   this   is   the 
principal  thing  ;  referring  to  what  he 
was  about  to  say,  not  what  he    had 
said.     Our  translators  seem  to  have 
imderstood  this  as  referring  to  a  sum- 
ming up,  or  recapitulation  of  what 
he   had   said,  and   there   can    be   no 
doubt  tliat  the  Greek  would  bear  this 
interpretation.     But  another  exposi- 
tion  has    been  proposed,  adopted  by 
Bloomfield,    Stuart,  -Michaelis,   and 
Storr,  among  the  moderns,  and  found 
also  in  Sindas,  Theodoret,  Theophy- 
lact,  and  others,  among  the  ancients. 
It    is   that  wliich  regards  the  word 
rendered  sum — Kc<pd\iov — as  meaning 
the  principal  thing ;  the  cliicf  matter ; 
tlie  most  important  point.     The  rea- 
son for  this  interpretation  is,  that  tlio 
apostle  in  fact  goes  into  no  recapitu- 
lation of  wliat  lie  had  said,  but  enters 
on  a  new  topic  relating  to  the  priest- 
hood of  Christ.    Instead  of  going  over 
what  he  had  demonstrated,  he  enters 
on  a  more  important  point,  that  the 
priestliood  of  Christ  is  performed  in 
heaven,  and  tiiat  he  liav  entered  into 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


171 


A  minister  of '  the  sanctu- 
ary, "  and  of  the  true  tabernacle, 

1  or,  hoUj  tilings.  a  c.  9.  8.  12.  ^4. 


the  true  tabernacle  there.  All  which 
preceded  was  type  and  shadow ;  this 
was  that  which  the  former  economy 
had  adumbrated.  In  the  previous 
chapters  the  apostle  had  shown  that 
he  who  sustained  this  office  was  su- 
perior in  rank  to  the  Jewish  priests ; 
that  they  were  frail  and  dying,  and 
that  the  office  in  their  hands  was 
changing  from  one  to  another,  but 
that  that  of  Christ  was  permanent  and 
abiding.  He  now  comes  to  consider 
the  real  nature  of  the  office  itself;  the 
sacrifice  which  was  offijred ;  the  sub- 
stance of  which  all  in  the  former  dis- 
pensation was  the  type.  This  was 
the  principal  thing  —  KKpd'Kiov  —  the 
head,  the  most  important  matter  ;  and 
the  consideration  of  this  is  pursued 
through  the  viiith,  ixth,  and  xth  chap- 
ters. IT  We  have  such  an  iiia^h  priest. 
That  is  settled  ;  proved  ;  indisputable. 
The  Christian  system  is  not  destitute 
of  that  which  was  regarded  as  so  es- 
sential to  the  old  dispensation — the 
office  of  a  high  priest.  IT  Who  is  set 
on  the  right  hand  of  a  throne,  &c.  He 
is  exalted  to  honour  and  glory  before 
God.  The  right  hand  was  regarded 
as  the  place  of  principal  honour,  and 
when  it  is  said  that  Christ  is  at  the 
right  hand  of  God,  the  meaning  is, 
that  he  is  exalted  to  the  highest  ho- 
nour in  the  universe.  See  Note  Mark 
xvi.  19.  Of  course  the  language  is 
figurative — as  God  has  no  hands  lite- 
rally— but  the  language  conveys  an 
important  meaning,  that  he  is  near 
to  God ;  is  high  in  his  affection  and 
love,  and  is  raised  to  the  most  ele- 
vated situation  in  heaven.  See  Phil. 
ii.  9  ;  Notes  Eph,  i.  21,  22. 

2.  A  minister  of  the  sanctuary.  Marg. 
•  or  holy  things.'  Gr.  rwi'  nyiwv.  The 
Greek  may  either  mean  the  sanctuary 
—  denoting  the  Holy  of  Holies;  or 
holy  things.  The  word  sanctuary — 
Ifflp — kodesh — was  given  to  the  ta- 
bernacle or  temple  as  a  holy  place, 
and  the  plural  form  which  is  here 


which   the    Lord   pitched,  and 
not  man. 


used — TO.  ayia — was  given  to  the  most 
holy  place  by  way  of  eminence  — 
the  fiill  form  of  the  name  being  — 
D'l^-Ip  ^>y  — kodesh  koddshim,  or, 
ayia  aytav  —  hagia  kagion,  (Jahn's 
Arche.  §  328),  or  as  it  is  here  used 
simply  as  *«  uyia.  The  connexion 
seems  to  require  us  to  understand  it 
of  the  most  holy  place,  and  not  of  holy 
things.  The  idea  is,  that  the  Lord 
Jesus,  the  Great  High  Priest,  has  en- 
tered into  the  Holy  of  Holies  in  hea- 
ven, of  which  that  in  the  tabernacle 
was  an  emblem.  For  a  description 
of  the  Most  Holy  place  in  the  temple, 
see  Notes  on  Matt.  xxi.  12.  IT  And  of 
the  true  tabernacle.  The  real  taber- 
nacle in  heaven,  of  which  that  among 
the  Hebrews  was  hut  the  type.  The 
word  tabernacle — aKtjvij — means  pro- 
perly a  booth,  hut,  or  tent,  and  was 
applied  to  the  tent  which  Moses  was 
directed  to  build  as  the  place  for  the 
worship  of  God.  That,  tabernacle,  as 
the  temple  was  afterwards,  was  re- 
garded as  the  peculiar  abode  of  God 
on  earth.  Here  the  reference  is  to 
heaven,  as  the  dwelling  place  of  God, 
of  which  that  tabernacle  was  the 
emblem  or  symbol.  It  is  called  the 
'  true  tabernacle,'  as  it  is  the  real 
dwelling  of  God,  of  which  the  one 
made  by  Moses  was  but  the  emblem. 
It  is  not  moveable  and  perishable  like 
that  made  by  man,  but  is  unchanging 
and  eternal.  H  Whichthe  Lord  pitched, 
and  not  man.  The  word  pitched  is 
adapted  to  express  the  setting  up  of  a 
tent.  When  it  is  said  that  'the  Lord 
pitched  the  true  tabernacle,'  that  is,, 
the  permanent  dwelling  in  heaven ; 
the  meaning  is,  that  heaven  has  been 
fitted  up  by  God  himself,  and  that 
whatever  is  necessary  to  constitute 
that  an  appropriate  abode  for  the  di- 
vine majesty  has  been  done  by  him. 
To  that  glorious  dwelling  the  Re- 
deemer has  been  received,  and  there 
he  perforins  the  office  of  high  priest 
in  behalf  of  man.     In  what  way  he 


173 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


3  For  every  high  priest  is 
ordained  to  olFer  gifts  and  sa- 
crifices :  wherefore  it  is  of 
necessity  that  this  man  have 
somewhat  also  to  ofler." 

o  Ep.  3.  2.  c.  0.  12. 

does  this,  the  apostle  specifics  in  the 
remainder  of  this  chapter,  and  in  chs. 
iz.  X. 

3.  For  every  high  priest  is  ordained 
to  offer  gifts  and  sacrijices.  Tliis  is  a 
general  statement  about  the  ftmctions 
of  the  high  priest.  It  was  the  pecu- 
liarity of  the  office  ;  it  constituted  its 
essence,  that  some  gift  or  sacrifice 
was  to  be  presented.  This  was  indis- 
putable in  regard  to  the  Jewish  higli 
priest,  and  this  is  involved  in  the  na- 
ture of  the  priestly  office  everywhere. 
A  priest  is  one  v^^ho  ofFere  sacrifice, 
mainly  in  bclialf  of  others.  The 
principles  involved  in  the  office  arc, 
(1)  that  there  is  need  that  some  offer- 
ing or  atonement  should  be  made  for 
sin;  and  ("2),  that  there  is  a  fitness  or 
propriety  that  some  one  should  be 
designated  to  do  it.  If  this  idea  that 
a  priest  must  offer  sacrifice  be  correct, 
then  it  follows  that  the  name  priest 
should  not  be  given  to  any  one  who 
is  not  appointed  to  offer  sacrifice.  It 
should  not  therefore  be 'given  to  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  for  it  is  no 
part  of  their  work  to  offer  sacrifice — 
the  great  sacrifice  for  sin  having  been 
once  offered  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
not  being  again  to  be  repeated.  Ac- 
cordingly the  writers  in  the  New 
Testament  are  perfectly  uniform  and 
consistent  on  this  point.  Tlie  name 
priest  is  never  once  given  to  the  min- 
isters  of  the  gospel  there.  They  are 
called  ministers,  ambassadors,  pas- 
tors, bishops,  overseers,  &,c.,  but  never 
priests.  Nor  should  they  be  so  called 
m  the  Christian  church.  The  name 
priest  as  applied  to  Christian  minis, 
ters,  has  been  derived  from  the  pa- 
pists. They  hold  that  the  priest  does 
offer  as  a  sacrifice  the  real  body  and 
blood  of  Christ  in  the  mass,  and  hold- 
ing this,  the  name  priest  is  given  to 
the  minister  who  does  it  consistently. 


4  For  if  he  were  on  earth, 
he  should  not  be  a  priest,  see- 
ing that  '  there  are  priests  that 
offer  gifts  according  to  the  law  : 

5  Who  serve  unto    the   eX' 

1  or,  they. 


It  is  not  indeed  right  or  Scriptural — 
for  the  whole  doctrine  on  which  it  ia 
based  is  absurd  and  false,  but  v.hile 
that  doctrine  is  held  the  name  is  con- 
sistent. But  with  wiiat  show  of  con- 
sistency or  propriety  can  the  name 
be  given  to  a  Protestant  minister  of 
the  gospel  ?  IT  Wherefore  it  is  of  ne- 
cessity that  this  man  have  somewhat 
also  to  offer.  That  the  Lord  Jesus 
should  make  an  offering.  That  is, 
since  he  is  declared  to  be  a  priest, 
and  since  it  is  essential  to  the  office 
that  a  priest  should  make  an  offering, 
it  is  indispensable  that  he  should  • 
bring  a  sacrifice  to  Cod.  He  could 
not  be  a  priest  on  the  acknowledged 
principles  on  which  that  office  is  held, 
unless  he  did  it.  What  the  offering 
was  which  the  Lord  Jesus  made,  the 
apostle  specifies  more  fully  in  ch.  ix. 
11—14.  25,  26. 

4.  For  if  he  were  on  earth,  he  should 
not  be  a  priest.  He  could  not  perform 
that  office.  Tiie  design  of  this  is,  to 
show  a  reason  why  he  was  removed 
to  heaven.  The  reason  was,  that  on 
earth  there  were  those  who  were  set 
apart  to  that  office,  and  that  he,  not 
being  of  the  same  tribe  with  them, 
could  not  officiate  as  priest.  There 
was  an  order  of  men  here  on  earth 
consecrated  already  to  that  office,  and 
hence  it  was  necessary  that  the  Lord 
Jesus,  in  performing  the  functions  of 
the  office,  should  be  removed  to  ano- 
ther sphere. 

5.  Who  serve  unto  the  example. 
Who  perform  their  service  by  the 
mere  example  and  shadow  of  the 
heavenly  tilings ;  or  in  a  tabernacle, 
and  ia  a  mode,  that  is  the  mere  em- 
blem of  the  reality  whicii  exists  in 
heaven.  Tlie  reference  is  to  the  ta- 
bernacle, whicli  was  a  mere  exampl' 
or  copy  of  heaven.  The  word  here 
rendered  example — un-oJti'ypia — moans 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


173 


ample  and  shadow  "  of  heavenly 
things,  as  Moses  was  admonish- 
ed of  God  when  he  was  about 
to   make    the    tabernacle :   for, 

a  Co.  2.  17.  c  10.  1. 

a  copy,  likeness,  or  imitation.  The 
tabernacle  was  made  after  a  pattern 
which  was  shown  to  Moses ;  it  was 
made  so  as  to  have  some  faint  resem- 
blance to  tlie  reality  in  heaven,  and 
in  that  'copy,'  or  'example,'  they 
were  appointed  to  officiate.  Their 
service,  therefore,  had  some  resem- 
blance to  that  in  heaven.  ^  And 
shadow.  That  is,  in  the  tabernacle 
where  they  served  there  was  a  mere 
shadow  of  that  which  was  real  and 
substantial.  Compared  with  what  is 
in  heaven,  it  was  what  the  shadow  is 
compared  with  the  substance.  A 
shadow — as  of  a  man,  a  house,  a  tree, 
will  indicate  the  form,  the  outline, 
the  size  of  the  object;  but  it  has  no 
substance,  or  reality.  So  it  was  with 
the  rites  of  the  Jewish  religion.  They 
were  designed  merely  as  a  shadow 
of  the  substantial  realities  of  the  true 
religion,  or  to  present  the  dim  out- 
lines of  what  is  true  and  real  in  hea- 
ven. Comp.  Notes  on  Coll.  ii.  17; 
Heb.  X.  1.  The  word  shadow  here — 
(TKid — is  used  in  distinction  from  the 
body  or  reality — ctw/jo — (Comp.  Coll. 
ii.  17),  and  also  from  ukuiv — a  perfect 
image  or  resemblance.  See  Heb.  x.  1. 
If  Of  heavenly  things.  Of  the  heavenly 
sanctuary  ;  of  what  is  real  and  sub- 
stantial in  heaven.  That  is,  there 
exists  in  heaven  a  reality  of  which 
the  service  in  the  Jewish  sanctuary 
was  but  the  outline.  The  reference 
is,  undoubtedly,  to  the  service  which 
the  Lord  Jesus  performs  there  as  the 
great  high  priest  of  his  people.  If  As 
Moses  was  admonished  of  God.  As 
he  was  divinely  instructed.  The  word 
here  used — XPW'"'^'^ — means  proper- 
ly to  give  oracular  responses ;  to  make 
communications  to  men  in  a  super- 
natural way — by  dreams,  by  direct 
revelations,  &c.  See  Matt.  ii.  12.22; 
Luke  ii.  26;  Acts  x.  22;  Heb.  xi.  7. 
H  For,  see,  saith  he.  Ex,  xxv.  &,  40 ; 
15* 


See,  saith  he,  *  that  thou  make 
all  things  according  to  the  pat- 
tern showed  to  thee  in  the 
mount. 

b  Ex.  25.  40.  26.  30. 


xxvi.  30.  In  Ex.  xl.  it  is  also  repeatedly 
said  that  Moses  executed  all  the  work 
of  the  tabernacle  as  he  had  been  com- 
manded. Great  care  was  taken  that 
an  exact  copy  should  be  exhibited  to 
him  of  all  which  he  was  to  make,  and 
that  the  work  should  be  exactly  like 
the  pattern.  The  reason  doubtless 
WBfg,  that  as  the  Jewish  service  was 
to  be  typical,  none  but  Gtid  could 
judge  of  the  form  in  which  the  taber- 
nacle should  be  made.  It  was  not  to 
be  an  edifice  of  architectural  beauty, 
skill,  or  taste,  but  was  designed  to 
adumbrate  important  realities  which 
were  known  only  to  God.  Hence  it 
was  needful  that  the  exact  model  of 
them  should  be  given  to  Moses,  and 
that  it  should  be  scrupulously  follow 
ed.  ^  That  thou  make  all  things.  Not 
only  the  tabernacle  itself,  but  the  al- 
tars, the  ark,  the  candlestick,  &c. 
The  form  and  materials  for  each  were 
specified,  and  the  exact  pattern  shown 
to  Moses  in  the  Mount.  If  According 
to  the  pattern.  Gr.  tvttov — type  ;  that 
is,  figure,  form.  The  word  tvvos,  type, 
means  properly  anything  produced 
by  the  agency  or  means  of  blows  (from 
Tv-Tui,  to  strike) ;  hence  a  mark,  stamp, 
print,  impression  —  as  that  made  by 
driving  nails  in  the  hands  (John  xx. 
25) ;  then  a  figure  or  form,  as  of  an 
image  or  statue  (Acts  vii.  43) ;  the 
form  of  a  doctrine  or  opinion  (Rom 
vi.  17) ;  then  an  example  to  be  imitat- 
ed or  followed  (I.  Cor.  x.  6,  7 ;  Phil, 
iii.  17;  L  Thess.  i.  7;  II.  Thess.  iii. 
9) ;  and  hence  a  pattern,  or  model 
after  which  anything  is  to  be  made. 
Acts  vii.  44.  This  is  the  meaning 
here.  The  allusion  is  to  a  pattern 
such  as  an  architect  or  sculptor  uses ; 
a  drawing,  or  figure  made  in  wood  or 
clay,  after  which  the  work  is  to  be 
modelled.  The  idea  is,  that  some 
such  drawing  or  model  was  exhibited 
to  Moses  by  God  on  Mount  Sinai,  so 


174 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


6  But  now  hath  ho  obtained 
a  more  excellent  "  ministry,  by 
how  much  also  he  is  the  medi- 
ator   of    a    better  '   covenant, 

a  2  Co.  3.6-9;  c.  7.  22. 

that  he  might  liave  an  exact  idea  of 
tlie  tabernacle  which  was  to  be  made. 
A  similar  drawing  or  model  of  the 
temple  was  given  by  David  to  Solo- 
mon. I.  Chron.  xxviii.  11,  12.  We 
are  not,  indeed,  to  suppose  that  there 
was  in  the  case  of  the  pattern  shown 
to  Moses,  any  miniature  model  of 
wood  or  stone  actually  created  and 
exhibited,  but.  that  the  form  of  the 
tabernacle  was  exhibited  to  Moses  in 
vision  (Note  Isa.  i.  1),  or  was  so  vi- 
vidly impressed  on  his  mind  that  he 
would  have  a  distinct  view  of  the 
edifice  which  was  to  be  reared.  ^  In 
the  Mount.  In  Mount  Sinai ;  for  it 
was  while  Moses  was  there  in  the 
presence  of  God,  that  these  commu- 
nications were  made. 

6.  But  new  hath  he  obtained.  That 
is,  Cluist.  IT  A  more  excellent  min- 
istry. A  service  of  a  higher  order, 
or  of  a  more  ex.alted  nature.  It  was 
the  real  and  substantial  service  of 
which  the  other  was  but  the  emblem ; 
it  pertained  to  things  in  heaven,  while 
that  was  concerned  with  the  earthly 
tabernacle ;  it  was  enduring,  while 
that  was  to  vanish  away.  See  Notes 
on  II.  Cor.  iii.  6 — 9.  If  By  how  much. 
By  as  much  as  the  new  covenant  is 
more  important  than  the  old,  by  so 
much  does  his  ministry  exceed  in  dig- 
nity that  under  the  ancient  dispensa- 
tion. ^  He  is  the  mediator.  See  Notes 
on  Gal.  iii.  19,  20,  where  the  word 
mediator  is  explained.  It  means  here 
that  Ciirist  officiates  between  God  and 
man  according  to  the  arrangements 
of  the  new  covenant.  If  Of  a  httter 
covenant.  Marg.  '  Or  testament.'  This 
word  properly  denotes  a  disposition, 
arrangement,  or  ordering  of  things  ; 
and  in  l!ie  Scriptures  is  employed  to 
describe  the  arrangement  wiiieh  God 
has  made  to  secure  the  maintenance 
of  his  worship  on  eartii,  and  the  sal- 
vation  of  men.    It  is  uniformly  used  in 


which  was  established  upon  bet 
ter  promises. 

7  For  if*  that  first  cotenant 
had  been  faultless,  then  should 

'  or,  testament.  6  c.  7.  1 1. 


the  Scptuagint  and  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment to  denote  the  covenant  wiiich  God 
makes  with  men.  Tiic  word  which 
properly  denotes  a  covenant  or  com. 
pncl — a\)v^>)Kii — snntheke  is  never  used. 
The  writers  of  the  New  Testament 
evidently  derived  its  use  from  the 
Scptuagint,  but  why  the  authors  of 
that  version  employed  it  as  denoting  a 
will  rather  than  the  proper  one  denot- 
ing a  compact,  is  unknown.  It  has  been 
sujjposcd  by  some,  and  the  conjecture 
is  not  wholly  improbable,  that  it  was 
because  they  were  unwilling  to  re- 
present God  as  making  a  compact 
or  agreement  with  men,  but  chose 
rather  to  represent  him  as  making 
a  mere  arrangement  or  ordering  of 
things.  Comp.  Notes  on  ver.  8,  and 
ch.  ix.  16,  17.  This  is  a  better  cove- 
nant than  the  old,  inasmuch  as  it 
relates  mainly  to  the  heart;  to  the 
pardon  of  sin  ;  to  a  spiritual  and  holy 
religion.  See  ver.  10,  The  former 
related  more  to  external  rites  and  ob- 
servances, and  was  destined  to  vanish 
away.  See  ver.  13.  IT  Which  was 
established  upon  better  promises.  The 
promises  in  the  first  covenant  pertain- 
ed mainly  to  the  present  life.  They 
were  promises  of  length  of  days ;  of 
increase  of  numbers ;  of  seed  time 
and  harvest ;  of  national  privileges, 
and  of  extraordinary  peace,  abund- 
ance,  and  prosperity.  That  there  was 
also  the  promise  of  eternal  life,  it 
would  be  wrong  to  doubt;  but  this 
was  not  the  main  thing.  In  the  new 
covenant,  however,  the  promise  of 
spiritual  blessings  becomes  the  prin- 
ci\rj.\  thing.  The  mind  is  directed  to 
heaven  ;  the  heart  is  cheered  with  the 
hopes  of  innnortal  life;  the  favour  of 
God  and  the  anticipation  of  heaven 
are  secured  in  the  most  ample  and 
solenm  manner. 

7.  For   if  that  Jirst   covenant  had 
been  faultless.     See  Note  on  ch.  vii 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


175 


no  place  have  been  sought  for 
the  second. 

8  For  finding  fault  with  them, 
he  "  saith,    Behold,    the    days 

a  Je.  31.  31-34. 

11.  It  is  implied  here  tKat  God  had 
said  that  that  covenant  was  not  per- 
fect or  faultless.  The  meaning  is  not 
that  that  first  covenant  made  under 
Moses  had  any  real  faults — or  incul- 
cated that  which  was  wrong,  but  that 
it  did  not  contain  the  ample  provision 
for  the  pardon  of  sin  and  the  salva^ 
tion  of  the  soul  which  was  desirable. 
It  was  merely  preparatory  to  the  gos- 
pel. IT  Then  should  no  place  have 
been  sought  for  the  second.  There 
could  not  have  been — inasmuch  as  in 
that  case  it  would  have  been  impossi. 
ble  to  have  bettered  it,  and  any  change 
would  have  been  only  for  the  worse. 
8.  For  Jinding  fault  with  them.  Or 
rather, '  finding  fault,  he  says  to  them.' 
The  difference  is  only  in  the  punctu- 
ation, and  this  change  is  required  by 
the  passage  itself  This  is  commonly 
interpreted  as  meaning  that  the  fault 
was  not  found  with  '  ihem^ — that  is, 
with  the  Jewish  people,  for  they  had 
had  nothing  to  do  in  giving  the  cove- 
nant, but  with  the  covenant  itself. 
'Stating  its  defects,  he  had  said  to 
them  that  he  would  give  them  one 
more  perfect,  and  of  which  that  was 
only  preparatory.'  So  Grotius,  Stuart, 
Rosenmiiller,  and  Erasmus  under- 
stand it.  Doddridge,  Koppe,  and 
many  others  understand  it  as  it  is  in 
our  translation,  as  implpng  that  the 
fault  was  found  with  the  people,  and 
they  refer  to  the  passage  quoted 
from  Jeremiah  for  proof,  where  the 
complaint  is  of  the  people.  The 
Greek  may  bear  either  construction  ; 
but  may  we  not  adopt  a  somewhat 
different  interpretation  still  ?  May  not 
this  be  the  meaning  ?  '  For  using  the 
language  of  complaint,  or  language 
that  implied  that  there  was  defect  or 
error,  he  speaks  of  another  covenant.' 
According  to  this,  the  idea  would  be, 
not  that  he  found  fault  specifically 
either  with  the  covenant  or  the  peo- 


come,  saith  the  Lord,  when  I 
will  make  a  new  covenant  with 
the  house  of  Israel  and  with 
the  house  of  Judah. 


pie,  but  generally  that  he  used  lan- 
guage which  implied  that  there  was 
defect  somewhere  when  he  promised 
another  and  a  better  covenant.  The 
word  rendered  '  finding  fault'  properly 
means  to  censure,  or  to  blame.  It  is 
rendered  in  Mark  vii.  2,  '  they  found 
fault,'  to  wit,  with  those  who  ate  with 
unwashed  hands ;  in  Rom.  ix.  9, 
"why  dotli  he  yet  find  fault  ?"  It  oc 
curs  nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. It  is  language  used  where 
wrong  has  been  done  ;  where  there  is 
ground  of  complaint ;  where  it  is  de- 
sirable that  there  should  be  a  change. 
In  the  passage  here  quoted  from  Jere- 
miah, it  is  not  expressly  stated  that 
God  found  fault  either  with  the  cove- 
nant or  with  the  people,  but  that  he 
promised  that  h^would  give  another 
covenant,  and  that  it  should  be  differ- 
ent from  that  which  he  gave  them 
when  they  came  out  of  Egypt — im- 
plying that  there  was  defect  in  that, 
or  that  it  was  not  faultless.  The 
whole  meaning  is,  that  there  was  a 
deficiency  which  the  giving  of  a  new 
covenant  would  remove.  H  He  saith. 
In  Jeremiah  xxxi.  31 — 34.  The  apos- 
tle has  not  quoted  the  passage  liter- 
ally as  it  is  in  the  Hebrew,  but  he  has 
retained  the  substance,  and  the  sense 
is  not  essentially  varied.  The  quota, 
tion  appears  to  have  been  made  partly 
from  the  Septuagint,  and  partly  from 
memory.  This  often  occurs  in  the 
New  Testament.  H  Behold.  This 
particle  is  designed  to  call  attention 
to  what  was  about  to  be  said  as  im- 
portant, or  as  having  some  special 
claim  to  notice.  It  is  of  very  fre- 
quent  occurrence  in  the  Scriptures, 
being  much  more  freely  used  by  the 
sacred  writers  than  it  is  in  the  clas- 
sic authors.  If  The  days  come.  The 
time  is  coming.  This  refers  doubt- 
less to  the  times  of  the  Messiah. 
Phrases  such  as  these,  'in  the  last 


17C 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


days,'  '  in  after  times,'  and  '  the  time 
is  coming,'  are  often  used  in  the  Old 
Testament  to  denote  tlie  last  dispen- 
sation of  the  world  —  the  dispensa- 
tion when   the    atiairs  of  the  world 
would  be  wound  up.     See  the  phrase 
explained  in  the  Notes  eh.  i.  2,  and 
Isa.  ii.  2.     There  can    be    no  doubt 
that  as  it  is  used  by  Jeremiah  it  re- 
fers to  the  terms  of  tlie  gospel.  ^  When 
J  will  make  a  new  covenant.     A  cove- 
nant that  shall  contemplate  soniewliat 
different  ends  ;  that  shall  have  diHer- 
ent  conditions,  and  that  shall  l)e  more 
effective  in  restraining  from  sin.  Tlie 
word  covenant  here  refers  to  the  ar- 
rangement, plan,  or  dispensation  into 
which  he  would  enter  in  his  dealings 
with  men.     On  the  meaning  of  the 
word,  see  Notes  on  Acts  vii.  8,  and 
on  ch.  ix.  16,  17.     The  word  covenant 
with  us  commonly  denotes  a  compact 
or   agreement   between    two    parties 
that  are  equal,  and  who  are  free  to 
enter  into  the  agreement  or  not.     In 
this    sense,  of  course,  it   cannot    be 
used  in  relation  to*the  arrangement 
wliieh  God  makes  with  man.     There 
is  (1)  no  equality  between  them,  and 
(2)  man  is  not  at  liberty  to  reject  any 
proposal  which  God  shall  make.  The 
word,  therefore,  is    used    in  a  more 
general  sense,  and  more  in  accordance 
with   the    original    meaning   of   the 
Greek  word.     It  has  been  above  re- 
marked (Notes  on  ver.  6),  that  the 
proper  word  to  denote   covenant,  or 
compact-^^rvv&ijKt] — syntheke — is  never 
used  either  in  the  Septuagint  or  in 
the  New  Testament — another  word — 
iia-SijK^  —  diatheke  —  being    carefully 
employed.     Whether  the  reason  there 
suggested    for  the    adoption    of  this 
word  in  the  Septuagint  be  the    real 
one  or  not,  the  fact  is  indisputable. 
I  may  be  allowed  to  suggest  as  possi- 
ble here  an  additional  reason  why  this 
60  uniformly  occurs  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament.    It  is,  that  the  writers  of  the 
New  Testament  never  meant  to  repre- 
sent  the    transactions    between  God 
arid   man   as   a  compact  or  covenant 
properly  so  called.     They  have  stu- 
diously avoided  it,  and  their  uniform 
practice,  in  making  tliis  nice  distinc- 


tion between  the  two  words,  may 
siiow  the  real  sense  in  which  the  He- 
brew word  rendered  covenant — n'")3 

— berith — is  used  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. The  word  wliich  they  employ 
— ita5n>"] — never  means  a  compact  or 
agreement  as  between  equals.  It  re- 
motely and  secondarily  means  a  will, 
or  testament  —  and  hence  our  word 
'  New  Testament.'  But  this  is  not  the 
sense  in  which  it  is  used  in  the  Bible 
— for  God  has  never  made  a  will  in 
the  sense  of  a  testamentary  disposi- 
tion of  what  belongs  to  him.  We  are 
rcierred,  therefore,  in  order  to  arrive 
at  tlie  true  Scriptui'e  view  of  this 
whole  matter,  to  the  original  meanmg 
of  the  word  —  diatheki — Sta&fiKii  —  as 
denoting  a  disposition,  arrangement, 
plan;  then  that  which  is  ordered,  a 
law,  precept,  promise,  &.c.  Unhap- 
pily we  have  no  single  word  which 
expresses  the  idea,  and  hence  a  con- 
stant error  has  existed  in  the  church 
— either  keeping  up  the  notion  of  a 
compact — as  if  God  could  make  one 
with  men;  or  the  idea  of  a  will  — 
equally  repugnant  to  truth.  The  word 
Sia^/jKti  is  derived  from  a  verb — iSion- 
■&>;/ii — meaning  to  place  apart,  to  set 
in  order ;  and  then  to  appoint,  to  make 
over,  to  make  an  arrangement  with. 
Hence  the  word  SiaSijKn  —  diatheke  — 
means  properly  the  arrangement  or 
disposition  which  God  made  with  men 
in  regard  to  salvaiion ;  the  system  of 
statutes,  directions,  laws,  and  pro- 
mises by  which  men  are  to  become 
subject  to  him,  and  to  be  saved.  The 
meaning  here  is,  tliat  he  would  make 
a  new  arrangement,  contemplating  as 
a  primary  thijjg  that  the  law  should 
be  written  in  the  heart;  an  arrange- 
ment which  would  be  pHJCuliarly  spi- 
ritual in  its  character,  and  which 
would  he  attended  with  the  diffusion 
of  just  views  of  the  Lord.  If  With  the 
house  of  Israel.  The  family,  or  race 
of  Israel,  for  so  tlie  word  house  is  often 
used  in  llie  Scriptures  and  elsewliere. 
Tile  word  'Israel'  is  used  in  tlie  Scrip- 
tures in  the  followin*,''  senses.  (1.)  As 
a  name  given  to  Jacob  because  he 
wrestled  witii  the  angel  of  God  and 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


177 


9  Not  according  to  the  cove- 
nant that  I  made  with  their  fa- 
thers in  the  day  when  I  took 
them  by  the  hand  to  lead  them 

prevailed  as  a  prince.  Gen.  xxxii.  28, 
(2.)  As  denoting-  all  wlio  were  de. 
scended  from  hina — called  "  the  child- 
ren of  Israel" — or  the  Jewish  nation. 
(3.)  As  denoting-  tlie  kingdom  of  the 
ten  tribes — or  the  kingdom  of  Sama- 
ria, or  Ephraim — that  kingdom  hav- 
ing taken  the  name  Israel  in  contra- 
distinction from  the  other  kingdom, 
which  was  called  Judah.  (4.)  As  de- 
noting the  people  of  God  in  general — 
his  true  and  sincere  friends  —  his 
church.  See  Notes  on  Rom.  ii.  28, 29  ; 
ix.  6.  In  this  place  quoted  from  Je- 
remiah, it  seems  to  be  used  to  denote 
the  kingdom  of  Israel  in  contradis- 
tinction from  that  of  Judah,  and  to- 
gether they  denote  the  whole  people  of 
God,  or  the  whole  Hebrew  nation.  This 
arrangement  was  ratified  and  con- 
firmed by  the  gift  of  the  Messiah,  and 
by  implanting  his  laws  in  the  heart. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  understand  this 
as  referring  to  the  whole  of  the  Jews, 
or  to  the  restoration  of  the  ten  tribes  ; 
but  the  words  Israel  and  Judah  are 
used  to  denote  the  people  of  God  in 
general,  and  the  idea  is,  that  with  the 
true  Israel  under  the  Messiah  the  laws 
of  God  would  be  written  in  the  heart 
rather  than  be  mere  external  observ- 
ances. IT  And  with  the  house  of  Ju- 
dah. The  kingdom  of  Judah.  Tliis 
kingdom  consisted  of  two  tribes — Ju- 
dah and  Benjamin.  The  tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin was,  however,  small,  and  the 
name  was  lost  in  that  of  Judah. 

9.  Not  according  to  the  covenant,  &lc. 
An  arrangement  or  dispensation  re- 
lating mainly  to  outward  observances, 
and  to  temporal  blessings.  The  mean- 
ing is,  that  the  new  dispensation 
would  be  different  from  that  which 
was  rnade  with  them  when  they  came 
out  of  Egypt.  In  what  respects  it 
would  differ  is  specified  in  vs.  10 — 12. 
IT  Because  they  continued  not  in  my 
covenant.  In  Jeremiah,  in  the  He- 
brew, this    is,  "while   my  covenant 


out  of  the  land  of  Egypt ;  be- 
cause they  continued  not  in  my 
covenant,  and  I  regarded  them 
not,  saith  the  Lord. 

they  brake."  That  is,  they  failed  to 
comply  with  the  conditions  on  which 
I  promised  to  bestow  blessings  upon 
them.  In  Jeremiah  this  is  stated  as 
a  simple  fact ;  in  the  manner  in  which 
the  apostle  quotes  it,  it  is  given  as  a 
reason  why  he  would  give  a  new  ar- 
rangement. The  apostle  has  quoted 
it  literally  from  the  Septuagint,  and 
the  sense  is  not  materially  varied. 
The  word  rendered  '  because' — Sn— 
may  mean  'since' — 'since  they  did 
not  obey  that  covenant,  and  it  was 
ineffectual  in  keeping  them  from  sin, 
showing  that  it  was  not  perfect  or 
complete  in  regard  to  what  was  need- 
ful to  be  done  for  man,  a  new  arrange- 
ment shall  be  made  that  will  be  with- 
out defect.'  This  accords  with  the 
reasoning  of  the  apostle  ;  and  the  idea 
is,  simply,  that  an  arrangement  may 
be  made  for  man  adapted  to  produce 
important  ends  in  one  state  of  society 
or  one  age  of  the  world,  which  would 
not  be  well  adapted  to  him  in  anotiier, 
and  which  would  not  accomplish  all 
which  it  would  be  desirable  to  ac- 
complish for  the  race.  So  an  arrange- 
ment may  be  made  for  teaching  chil- 
dren which  would  not  answer  the  pur- 
pose  of  instructing  those  of  mature 
years,  and  which  at  that  time  of  life 
may  be  superseded  by  another,  A 
system  of  measures  may  be  adapted 
to  the  infancy  of  society,  or  to  a  com- 
paratively  rude  period  of  the  world, 
vi'hich  would  be  ill  adapted  to  a  more 
advanced  state  of  society.  Such  was 
the  Hebrew  system.  It  was  well 
adapted  to  the  Jewish  community  in 
their  circumstances,  and  answered 
the  end  then  in  view.  It  served  to 
keep  them  separate  from  other  people ; 
to  preserve  the  knowledge  and  the 
worship  of  the  true  God,  and  to  intro- 
duce the  gospel  dispensation.  IT  And 
I  regarded  them  not.  In  Jeremiah 
this  is,  "  Although  I  was  an  husband 
unto  them."     The  Septuagint  is  as  it 


178 


iii-:rrkws. 


,  [A.  D.  fi4. 


10  For  this  is  the  covenant 
that  I  will  make  with  thu  house 
of  Israel  alter  those  days,  saith 
the  Lord  ;  1  will '  put  my  laws 

>  give.  2  or,  vpon. 

is  quoted  here  by  Paul.  The  Hebrew  is, 
D3  'i^Sj/3  o'jXI — which  may  be  ren- 

dered,  "  althougli  I  was  tlieir  Lord  ;" 
or  as  it  is  translaied  by  Gcscnius, 
'  and  I  rejected  them.'  The  word 
S>*3 — BaHl — means,  (1)  to  be  lord  or 

—  T 

master  over  anything  (Isa.  xxvi.  13) ; 
(2)  to  become  the  Imsband  of  any  one 
(Deut.  xxi.   13;  xxiv.  1);  (3)  with  3 

to  disdain,  to  reject.  So  Jer.  iii.  14. 
It  is  very  probable  that  this  is  tiie 
meaning  here,  for  it  is  not  only  adopt- 
ed by  the  Septuagint,  but  by  the  Sy- 
riae.  So  AbulwaUd,  Kinichi,  and 
Rabbi  Tanehum  understood  it.  Tiie 
Arabic  word  means  lo  reject,  to  loath, 
to  disdain.  All  tiiat  is  necessary  to 
observe  here  is,  that  it  cannot  be  de- 
monstrated that  the  apostle  has  not 
given  the  true  sense  of  the  prophet. 
The  probability'  is,  that  the  Septua- 
gint translators  would  give  the  mean- 
ing which  was  conunonly  understood 
to  be  correct,  and  there  is  still  more 
probability  that  the  Syriac  translator 
would  adopt  the  true  sense,  for  (1) 
the  Syriac  and  Hebrew  languages 
strongly  resemble  each  other  ;  and  (2) 
the  old  Syriac  version — the  Peshito — 
is  incomparably  a  better  translation 
than  the  Septuagint.  If  this,  there- 
fore, be  the  correct  translation,  the 
meaning  is,  that  since  they  .did  not 
regard  and  obey  the  laws  which  he 
gave  them,  God  would  reject  them  as 
his  i)eople,  and  give  new  laws  better 
adajjted  to  save  men.  Instead  of  re- 
garding and  treating  them  as  his 
friends,  he  would  punish  them  for 
their  ofTenecs,  and  visit  them  with 
calamities. 

10.  For  this  is  the  covenant.  This 
is  the  arrangement,  or  the  dispensa- 
tion which  shall  succeed  tiie  old  one. 
IT  With  the  house  of  Israel.  With  the 
true    Israel ;  that   is,  with   all   those 


into  their  mind,  and  write  them 
'^  in  their  hearts  :  and  "  1  will  be 
to  them  a  God,'  and  they  shall 
be  to  me  a  people  : 

o  Uo.  2.  23 ;  Zee.  8.  8. 


whom  he  will  regard  and  treat  as  his 
friends.     If   After  those   days.     This 
may  either  mean,  '  after  those  days  I 
will  put  my  laws  in  their  hearts,'  or, 
'  I  will  make  this  covenant  with  them 
after  those  days.'     This  ditFerenee  is 
merely  in  the   punctuation,  and  the 
sense  is  not  materially  affected.     It 
seems  to  me,  however,  that  the  mean- 
ing of  the   Hebrew   in  Jeremiah  is, 
'  in  those  after  days'"  (Comp.  Notes  on 
Isa.  ii.  1),  'I  will  put  my  laws  into 
their  mind ;'  that  is,  in  that  subse- 
quent period,  called  in  Scripture  '  the 
after  times,'  '  the  last  days,'  '  the  ages 
to  come,'  meaning  the  last  dispensa- 
tion of  the  world.     Thus  interpreted, 
the  sense  is,  that  this  would  be  done 
in  the  times  of  the  Messiah.    ^  /  will 
put  my  laws  into  their  mind.     Marg. 
Give.     The  word  give  in  Hebrew  is 
often  used  in  the  sense  of  put.     The 
meaning  here  is,  that  they  would  not 
be    mere    external    observances,    but 
would  affect  the  conscience  and  the 
heart.    The  laws  of  the  Hebrews  per- 
tained mainly  to  external   rites   and 
ceremonies  ;  the  laws  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation would  relate  particularly  to 
the   inner   man,  and   be   designed   to 
control  the  heart.     The  grand  pecu- 
liarity  of  the  Christian  system  is,  that 
it  regulates  the  conscience  and  the 
princi|)les  of  the  soul  rather  than  ex- 
ternal matters.     It  prescribes  few  ex- 
ternal rites,  and  those  arc  exceedingly 
simpl(;,  and  are  merely  the  ])roper  ez- 
2)ressions  of  the  pious  feelings  sup- 
posed  to  be  in  the  heart ;  and  all  at- 
tempts cither  to  increase  the  number 
of  these  rites,  or  to  make  them  im- 
posing  by   tlieir   gorgeousness,   have 
done  just  so  much  to  mar  the  simpli- 
city of  the  gospel,  and  to  corrupt  re- 
ligion.    II    And  write   them   in  their 
hearts.     Marg.    Upon.     Not  on  tables 
of  stone  or  brass,  but  on  the  soul  it- 
self.   That  is,  the  obedience  rendered 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


179 


11  And  they  shall  not  teach 
every  man  his  neighbour,  and 
every  man  his  brother,  saying, 


will  not  be  external.  The  law  of 
the  new  system  will  have  living-  pow- 
er, and  bind  the  faculties  of  the  soul 
to  obedience.  The  commandment 
there  will  be  written,  in  more  lasting 
characters  than  if  engraved  on  tables 
of  stone.  H  And  I  will  be.  to  them  a 
God.  This  is  quoted  literally  from 
the  Hebrew.  The  meaning  is,  that 
he  would  sustain  to  them  the  appro- 
priate relation  of  a  God ;  or,  if  the 
expression  may  be  allowed,  he  would 
be  to  them  what  a  God  should  be,  or 
what  it  is  desirable  that  men  should 
find  in  a  God.  We  speak  of  a  father's 
acting  in  a  manner  appropriate  to  the 
character  of  a  father  ;  and  the  mean- 
ing here  is,  that  he  would  be  to  his 
people  all  that  is  properly  implied  in 
the  name  of  God.  He  would  be  their 
lawgiver,  their  counsellor,  their  pro- 
tector, their  Redeemer,  their  guide. 
He  would  provide  for  their  wants,  de- 
fend them  in  danger,  pardon  their 
sins,  comfort  them  in  trials,  and  save 
their  souls.  He  would  be  a  faithful 
friend,  and  would  never  leave  them 
nor  forsake  them.  It  is  one  of  the 
inestimable  privileges  of  his  people 
that  Jehovah  is  their  God.  The  liv- 
ing and  ever-blessed  Being  who  made 
the  heavens  sustain  to  them  the  rela- 
tion of  a  Protector  and  a  Friend,  and 
they  may  look  up  to  heaven  feeling 
that  he  is  all  which  they  could  desire 
in  the  character  of  a  God.  IT  And  they 
shall  be  to  me  a  people.  This  is  not 
merely  stated  as  a  fact,  but  as  a  pri- 
vilege. It  is  an  inestimable  blessing 
to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  people 
of  God,  and  to  feel  that  we  belong  to 
him  —  that  we  are  associated  witJi 
those  whom  he  loves,  and  whom  he 
treats  as  his  friends. 

11.  And  they  shall  not  teach  every 
man  his  neighbour,  &-C.  That  is,  no 
one  shall  be  under  a  necessity  of  im- 
parting instruction  to  another,  or  of 
exhorting  him  to  become  acquainted 


Know  the  Lord  :  for  all  "  shall 
know  me,  from  the  least  to  the 
greatest. 

a  Is.  54.  13. 


witli  the  Lord.  This  is  designed  to 
set  forth  another  of  the  advantages 
which  would  attend  the  new  dispen- 
sation.  In  the  previous  verse  it  had 
been  said  that  one  advantage  of  that 
economy  would  be,  that  the  law  would 
be  written  on  the  heart,  and  that  they 
who  were  thus  blessed  would  be  re- 
garded as  the  people  of  God.  An- 
other advantage  over  the  old  arrange- 
nient  or  covenant  is  here  stated.  It 
is,  tliat  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
and  of  the  true  religion,  would  be 
deeply  engraved  on  the  minds  of  all, 
and  that  there  would  be  no  necessity 
for  mutual  exhortation  and  counsel. 
"  They  shall  have  a  much  more  cer- 
tain and  effectual  teaching  than  they 
can  derive  from  another."  Doddridge. 
This  passage  does  not  refer  to  the 
fact  that  the  true  religion  will  be  uni- 
versally  diffused,  but  that  among  those 
who  are  interested  in  the  blessings  of 
the  new  covenant  there  would  be  an 
accurate  and  just  knowledge  of  the 
Lord.  In  some  way  they  would  be 
so  taught  respecting  his  character 
that  they  would  not  need  the  aid  to 
be  derived  from  others.  All  under 
that  dispensation,  or  sustaining  to  him 
the  relation  of  '  a.  people,'  would  in 
fact  have  a  correct  knowledge  of  the 
Lord.  This  could  not  be  said  of  the 
old  dispensation,  for  (1.)  their  religion 
consisted  much  in  outward  obser- 
vances. (2.)  It  was  not  to  such  an 
extent  as  the  new  system  a  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit.  (3.)  There 
were  not  as  many  means  as  now  for 
learning  the  true  character  of  God. 
(4.)  The  fullest  revelations  had  not 
been  made  to  them  of  that  character. 
That  was  reserved  for  the  coming 
of  the  Saviour,  and  under  him  it 
was  intended  that  tjiere  sliould  be 
communicated  the  full  knowledge  of 
the  character  of  God.  Many  MSS., 
and  those  among  the  best,  here  have 
TroXiTriv  —  citizen ;  fellow-citizen,    in- 


180 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


12  For  I  will  be  merciful  to 
their  unrighteousness,  and  their 
sins  and  tlieir  initiuities  will  I 
remember  no  more. 


stead  of  irXtjaiov,  veighbour,  and  this 
is  adopted  by  Griesbach,  Tittman, 
Roscnmiiller,  Knapp,  Stuart,  and  by 
many  of  the  fatlicrs.  Jt  is  also  in  the 
version  of  tlic  Ixx.  in  tlic  place  quoted 
from  Jeremiah.  It  is  not  easy  to  de- 
termine the  true  reading,  but  the  word 
neighbour  better  accords  with  the 
meaning  of  the  Hebrew — p'^ — and 
tliere  is  strong  authority  from  the 
MSS.  and  the  versions  for  this  read- 
ing. If  And  every  man  his  brother. 
Another  form  of  expression,  meaning 
that  there  would  be  no  necessity  that 
one  should  teach  anotlicr.  IT  Saying, 
Know  the  Lord.  That  is,  become  ac- 
quainted with  God  ;  learn  his  charac- 
ter and  his  will.  The  idea  is,  that 
the  true  knowledge  of  Jehovah  would 
prevail  as  a  characteristic  of  those 
times.  IT  For  all  shall  know  7ne. 
That  is,  all  those  referred  to ;  all  who 
are  interested  in  tire  new  covenant, 
and  who  are  partakers  of  its  bless- 
ings. It  docs  not  mean  that  all  per- 
sons, in  all  lands,  would  then  know 
the  Lord — though  the  time  will  come 
when  that  will  be  true ;  but  the  ex- 
pression is  to  be  limited  by  the  point 
under  discussion.  That  point  ie  not 
that  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  will 
fill  the  whole  world,  but  that  all  who 
are  interested  in  the  new  dispensation 
will  have  a  much  more  full  and  clear 
knowledge  of  God  than  was  possessed 
under  the  old.  Of  the  truth  of  this 
no  one  can  doubt.  Christians  have  a 
much  more  perfect  knowledge  of  God 
and  of  his  government  than  could 
liave  been  learned  merely  from  the 
revelations  of  the  Old  Testament. 

12.  For  I  will  be  merciful  to  their 
unrighteousness,  &c.  That  is,  the 
blessing  of  pardon  will  be  much  more 
richly  enjoyed  under  the  new  dispen- 
sation than  it  was  under  tlie  old. 
This  is  the  fourth  circumstance  ad- 
duced in  which  the  new  covenant  will 
surpass  the  old.     That  was  comnara- 


13  In  that  he  saith,  A  new* 
covenant,  he  hath  made  the  first 


a  2  Co.  5.  J7. 


tivcly  severe  in  its  inflictions  (sec  oti. 
X.  28) ;  marked  every  offence  with 
strictness,  and  employed  the  language 
of  mercy  much  less  frequently  than 
that  of  justice.  It  was  a  system 
where  law  and  justice  reigned ;  not 
where  mercy  was  the  crowning  and 
prevalent  attribute.  It  was  true  that 
it  contemplated  pardon,  and  made  ar- 
rangements for  it;  but  it  is  still  true 
that  tliis  is  much  more  prominent  in 
the  new  dispensation  than  in  the  old. 
It  is  there  the  leading  idea.  It  is  that 
which  separates  it  from  all  other  sys- 
tems. The  entire  arrangement  is  one 
for  tlie  pardon  of  sin  in  a  manner 
consistent  with  the  claims  of  law  and 
justice,  and  it  bestows  the  benefit  of 
tbrgiveness  in  the  most  ample  and 
perfect  manner  on  all  who  are  inter- 
ested in  the  plan.  In  fact,  the  pecxi- 
liarity  by  which  the  gospel  is  distin- 
guished  from  all  other  systems,  an- 
cient and  modern,  philosophic  and  mo- 
ral, pagan  and  deistical,  is  that  it  is 
a  system  making  provision  for  the 
forgiveness  of  sin,  and  actually  be- 
stowing pardon  on  the  guilty.  This 
is  the  centre,  the  crown,  the  glory  of 
the  new  dispensation.  God  is  merci- 
ful  to  the  unrighteousness  of  men , 
and  their  sins  are  remembered  no 
more.  IT  Will  I  remember  no  more. 
This  is  evidently  spoken  after  the 
manner  of  men,  and  in  accordance 
with  Imflian  apprehension.  It  cannot 
mean  literally  tiiat  God  forgets  that 
men  are  sinners,  but  it  means  that  he 
treats  them  as  if  this  were  forgotten. 
Their  sins  are  not  charged  upon  them, 
and  tlicy  are  no  more  punished  than 
if  tliey  had  passed  entirely  ont  of  the 
recollection.  God  treats  tJicm  with 
just  as  much  kindness,  and  regards 
them  witli  as  sincere  affection,  as  if 
their  sins  ceased  wiiolly  to  be  remem- 
bered, or  which  is  the  same  thing,  aa 
if  they  had  never  sinned. 

]  3.  In  that  he  saith,  A  new  covenant, 
he  hath  made  the  first  old.    That  ig. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


181 


old.    Now  that  which  decayeth 


the  use  of  the  word  '  neio''  implies  that 
the   one  which  it  was  to   supersede 
was   '  old.^     New    and  old   stand   in 
contradistinction    from    each    other. 
Thus  we   speak    of  a  new  and   old 
house,  a  new  and  old  garment,  &.c. 
The  object  of  the  apostle  is  to  show 
that  by  tlie  very  fact  of  the  arrange- 
ment for  a  7tew  dispensation  differing 
so  much  from  the  old,  it  was  implied 
of  necessity  that  that  was  to  be  super- 
seded, and  would  vanish  away.  This 
was  one  of  the  leading  points  at  which 
he  arrived.     IT  Now  that  which  decay- 
eth and  loaxeth  old  is  ready  to  vanish 
away.    This  is  a  general  truth  which 
would  be  undisputed,  and  which  Paul . 
applies  to  the  case  under  consideration. 
An  old  house,    or  garnaent;    an  an- 
cient tree  ;    an  aged  man,   all  have 
indications  that  they  are  soon  to  dis- 
appear.    They  cannot  be  expected  to 
remain  long.     The  very  fact  of  their 
growing    old   is    an    indication   that 
they  will  soon  be  gone.    So  Paul  says 
it  was  with  the  dispensation  that  was 
represented  as  old.     It  had  symptoms 
of  AgcslJ.      It   had    lost   the    vigour 
which  it  had  when  it  was  fresh  and 
new  ;  it  had  every  mark  of  an  anti- 
quated and  a  declining  system  ;  and  it 
had  been   expressly  declared  that  a 
new    and   more   perfect  dispensation 
was  to  be  given  to  the  world.     Paul 
concluded,  therefore,  that  the  Jewish 
system  must  soon  disappear. 

REMARKS. 

].  The  fact  that  we  have  a  high 
priest,  is  fitted  to  impart  consolation 
to  the  pious  mind.  Vs.  1 — 5.  He  ever 
lives,  and  is  ever  the  same.  He  is  a 
minister  of  the  true  sanctuary,  and  is 
ever  before  the  mercy-seat.  He  enters 
there  not  once  a  year  only,  but  has 
entered  there  to  abide  there  for  ever. 
We  can  never  approach  the  tlirone  of 
mercy  without  having  a  high  priest 
there  —  for  he  at  all  times,  day  and 
night,  appears  before  God,  The  me- 
rits of  his  sacrifice  are  never  exhaust- 
ed, and  God  is  never  wearied  with 
16 


and  waxeth  old  is  ready  to  va- 
nish away. 

hearing  his  pleadings  in  behalf  of  his 
people.  He  is  the  same  that  he  was 
when  he  gave  himself  on  the  cross. 
He  has  the  same  love  and  the  same 
compassion  which  he  had  then,  and 
that  love,  which  led  him  to  make  the 
atonement,  will  lead  him  always  to 
regard  with  tenderness  those  for 
whom  he  died. 

2.  It  is  a  privilege  to  live  under  the 
blessings  of  the  Christian  system. 
Ver.  6.  We  have  a  better  covenant 
than  the  old  one  was  —  one  less  ex- 
pensive and  less  burdensome,  and  one 
that  is  established  upon  better  premi- 
ses. Now  the  sacrifice  is  made,  and 
we  do  not  have  to  renew  it  every  day. 
It  was  made  once  for  all,  and  need 
never  he  repeated.  Having  now  a 
high  priest  in  heaven  who  has  made 
the  sacrifice,  we  may  approach  him 
in  any  part  of  the  earth,  and  at  all 
times,  and  feel  that  our  offering  will 
be  acceptable  to  him.  If  there  is  any 
blessing  for  which  we  ought  to  be 
thankful,  it  is  for  the  Christian  reli- 
gion ;  for  we  have  only  to  look  at 
any  portion  of  the  heathen  world,  or 
even  to  the  condition  of  the  people  of 
God  under  the  comparatively  dark 
and  obscure  Jewish  dispensation,  to 
see  abundant  reasons  for  thanksgiv- 
ing  for  what  we  enjoy. 

3.  Let  us  often  contemplate  the 
mercies  of  the  new  dispensation  with 
which  we  are  favoured  —  the  favours 
of  that  religion  whose  smiles  and 
sunshine  we  are  permitted  to  enjoy. 
Vs.  10 — 12.  It  contains  all  that  we 
want,  and  is  exactly  adapted  to  our 
condition.  It  has  that  for  which  every 
man  should  be  thankful ;  and  has  not 
one  thing  which  should  lead  a  man 
to  reject  it.  It  furnishes  all  the  se- 
curity which  we  could  desire  for  our 
salvation ;  lays  upon  us  no  oppressive 
burdens  or  charges;  and  accomplishes 
all  which  we  ought  to  desire  in  our 
souls.  Let  us  contemplate  a  moment 
the  arrangements  of  that  '  covenant,' 
and  see  how  fitted  it  is  to  make  man 
blessed  and  happy. 


182 


HEBRKWS. 


[A.  D.  01. 


First,  It  writes  the  laws  of  God  on 
the  luiiid  and  tlic  lieart.  Vcr.  10.  It 
not  only  rectals  tlicin,  but  it  secures 
tlicir  observance.  It  has  made  ar- 
ranjiienienls  for  dinposin^  men  to  keep 
llie  laws — a  thinjr  whicli  has  not  been 
introduced  into  any  other  system. 
Legislators  may  enact  g-ood  laws,  but 
tlicy  cannot  induce  others  to  obey 
them  ;  parents  may  utter  good  pre- 
cepts, but  tliey  cannot  engrave  them 
on  the  liearts  of  their  children ;  and 
sages  may  express  sound  ma.xinis  and 
just  precepts  in  morals,  but  tlierc  is 
no  security  that  they  will  be  regarded. 
So  in  all  the  heathen  world — there  is 
no  power  to  inscribe  good  ma.xims 
and  rules  of  living  on  the  heart. 
They  may  be  written ;  recorded  on 
tablets;  hung  up  in  temples;  but  stil! 
men  will  not  regard  them.  Tlicy 
will  still  give  indulgence  to  evil  pas- 
sions, and  lead  wicked  lives.  But  it 
is  not  so  with  the  arrangement  which 
God  has  made  in  the  plan  of  salvation. 
One  of  the  very  first  provisions  of 
that  plan  is,  that  the  laws  shall  be  in- 
scribed on  the  heart,  and  that  there 
shall  be  a  disposition  to  obey.  Such 
a  system  is  what  man  wants,  and 
such  a  system  he  can  nowhere  else 
find. 

Secondly,  This  new  arrangement 
reveals  to  us  a  God  such  as  we  need. 
Ver.  10.  It  contains  the  promise 
that  he  will  be  'our  God.'  He  will  be 
to  his  people  all  that  can  be  desired  in 
God;  all  that  man  could  wish.  He 
is  just  such  a  God  as  the  human  mind, 
when  it  is  pure,  most  loves ;  has  all 
the  attributes  which  it  could  be  de- 
sired there  should  be  in  his  character; 
lias  done  all  that  we  could  desire  a 
God  to  do;  and  is  ready  to  do  all  that 
we  could  wish  a  God  to  ])erl(jrm. 
Man  wants  a  God;  a  God  in  whom 
lie  can  put  confidence,  and  on  whom 
he  can  rely.  The  ancient  Greek 
philosopher  wanted  a  God — and  he 
would  then  have  made  a  beautiful 
and  efficient  system  of  morals  ;  the 
heathen  want  a  God — to  dwell  in  their 
empty  temples,  and  in  their  corrupt 
hearts ;  the  .\theist  wants  a  God  to 
make  him  calm,  contented,  and  happy 


in  this  life — for  he  has  no  God  now , 
and  man  everywhere,  wretched,  sin- 
ful, suflering,  dying,  wants  a  God. 
Such  a  God  is  revealed  in  the  Bible 
— one  whose  character  we  ma}'  con- 
temi)latc  with  ever-increasing  admi- 
ration ;  one  wlio  has  all  the  attributes 
which  wc  can  desire ;  one  who  will 
minister  to  us  all  the  consolation 
which  we  need  in  this  world  ;  and 
one  who  will  be  to  us  the  same  God 
for  ever  and  ever. 

Thirdly,  The  new  covenant  con- 
templates the  diffusion  of  knowledge. 
Ver.  11.  This  too  was  what  man 
needed,  for  everywhere  else  he  ha^ 
been  ignorant  of  God  and  of  the  way 
of  salvation.  The  whole  heathen 
world  is  sunk  in  ignorance,  and  in- 
deed all  men,  except  as  they  are  en 
lightened  by  the  gospel,  are  in  pro- 
found darkness  on  the  great  questions 
which  most  nearly  pertain  to  their 
welfare.  But  it  is  not  so  with  the 
new  arrangement  which  God  has 
made  with  his  people.  It  is  a  fact 
that  tliey  know  the  Lord,  and  a  dis- 
pensation whicli  would  produce  that 
is  just  what  man  needed.  There  are 
two  things  hinted  at  in  ver.  11  of  this 
chapter,  which  are  worthy  of  more 
than  a  passing  notice,  illustrating  the 
e.xeelleney  of  tlie  Christian  religion. 
The  Jirst  is,  that  in  the  new  dispen- 
sation all  would  know  the  Lord.  The 
matter  of  fact  is,  that  the  obscurest 
and  most  unlettered  Christian  often 
has  a  knowledge  of  God  which  sages 
never  had,  and  which  is  never  obtain- 
ed except  by  the  teachings  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  However  this  may  be 
accounted  for,  the  fact  cannot  be  de- 
nied. There  is  a  clear  and  elevating 
view  of  God ;  a  knowledge  of  him 
which  exerts  a  practical  influence  on 
the  heart,  and  which  transforms  the 
soul ;  and  a  correctness  of  apprehen- 
sion in  regard  to  what  truth  is,  pos- 
sessed by  tlie  humble  Christian,  though 
a  ])casant,  which  philosophy  never 
imparted  to  its  votaries.  Many  a 
sage  would  be  instructed  in  the  truths 
of  religion  if  he  would  sit  down  and 
converse  with  the  comparatively  un. 
learned  Christian,  who  h.is  no  book 


K.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


183 


but  his  Bible.  The  other  thing  hinted 
at  here  is,  that  all  would  know  the 
Lord  from  the  least  to  the  greatest. 
Children  and  youth,  as  well  as  age 
and  experience,  would  have  an  ac- 
quaintance with  God.  This  promise 
is  remarkably  verified  under  the  new 
dispensation.  One  of  the  most  strik- 
ing things  of  the  system  is,  the  at- 
tention which  it  pays  to  the  young ; 
one  of  its  most  wonderful  effects  is 
the  knowledge  which  it  is  the  means 
of  imparting  to  those  in  early  life. 
Many  a  child  in  the  Sabbath-school 
lias  a  knowledge  of  God  which  Gre- 
cian sages  never  had  ;  many  a  youth 
in  the  Church  has  a  more  consistent 
acquaintance  with  God's  real  plan  of 
governing  and  saving  men,  than  all 
the  teachings  which  philosophy  could 
ever  furnish. 

Fourthly,  Tlic  new  dispensation 
couteniplaf'.s  the  pardon  of  sin,  and 
is.  thcrefori'  fittsd  to  the  condition  of 
man.  Ver.  ]  •  It  i!'  what  man  needs. 
The  knowlfctl(  "  of  some  way  of  par- 
don is  that  whiK human  nature  has 

been  sighing  for  for  ages ;  which  has 
been  sought  in  every  system  of  reli- 
gion, and  by  every  bloody  offering  ; 
but  which  has  never  elsewhere  been 
tbund.  The  philosopher  had  no  as- 
surance that  God  would  pardon,  and 
indeed  one  of  the  chief  aims  of  the 
philosopher  has  been  to  convince  him- 
self that  he  had  no  need  of  pardon. 
The  heathen  have  had  no  assurance 
that  their  offerings  have  availed  to 
put  away  the  divine  anger,  and  to 
obtain  forgiveness.  The  only  assur- 
ance anywhere  furnished  that  sin  may 
be  forgiven,  is  in  the  Bible.  This  is 
the  great  peculiarity  of  the  system 
recorded  there,  and  this  it  is  which 
renders  it  so  valuable  above  all  the 
other  systems.  It  furnishes  the  as- 
surance that  sins  may  be  pardoned, 
and  shows  hovj  it  may  be  done.  This 
is  what  we  ?nust  have,  or  perish.  And 
why,  since  Christianity  reveals  a  way 
of  forgiveness — a  way  honourable  to 
God  and  not  degrading  to  man — why 
should  any  man  reject  it?  Why 
should  not  the  guilty  embrace  a  sys- 
teni  which  proclaims  pardon  to  the 


guilty,  and  which  assures  all  that,  if 
they  will  embrace  him  who  is  the 
'  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant,'  '  God 
will  be  merciful  to  their  unrighteous- 
ness, and  will  remember  their  iniqui- 
ties no  more.' 

CHAPTER  IX. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    CHAPTER. 

The  general  design  of  this  chapter 
is  the  same  as  the  two  preceding,  to 
show  that  Christ  as  high  priest  is  su- 
perior to  the  Jewish  high  priest.  This 
the  apostle  had  already  shown  to  be 
true  in  regard  to  his  rank,  and  to  the 
dispensation  of  which  he  was  the 
'  mediator.'  He  proceeds  novs^  to  show 
that  this  was  also  true  in  reference  to 
the  eflicacy  of  the  sacrifice  which  he 
made;  and  in  order  to  this,  he  gives 
an  account  of  the  ancient  Jewish  sa- 
crifices, and  compares  them  with  that 
made  by  the  Redeemer.  The  essen- 
tial point  is,  that  the  former  dispensa- 
tion was  mere  shadow,  type,  or  figure, 
and  that  the  latter  was  real  and  effi- 
cacious. The  chapter  comprises,  in 
illustration  of  this  general  idea,  the 
following  points : 

(1.)  A  description  of  the  ancient 
tabernacle,  and  of  the  utensils  that 
were  in  it.     Vs.  1 — 5. 

(2.)  A  description  of  the  services 
in  it,  particularly  of  that  performed 
by  the  high  priest  once  a  year.  Vs. 
6,  7. 

(3.), Ail  this  was  typical  and  sym- 
bolical, and  was  a  standing  demon- 
stration that  the  way  into  the  most 
holy  place  in  heaven  was  not  yet 
fully  revealed.     Vs.  8—10. 

(4.)  Christ  was  now  come — the 
substance  of  which  that  was  the  sha- 
dow ;  the  real  sacrifice  of  which  ihat 
was  the  emblem.  Vs.  11 — 14.  He 
pertained  q.s  a  priest  to  a  more  perfect 
tabernacle  (ver.  11);  he  offered  not 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats,  but  his 
own  blood  (ver.  1 2) ;  with  that  blood 
he  entered  into  the  most  holy  place 
in  heaven  (ver.  12) ;  and  if  the  blood 
of  bulls  and  goats  was  admitted  to  be 
efficacious  in  putting  away  external 
uncleanness,  it  must  be  admitted  that 


184 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


T 


CHAPTER 

HEN   verily  the 
nant   had   also  ' 


IX. 

first   cove- 
ordinances 


of  divine  service,  and  a  wor.d.'y 
sanctuary. ' 

1  or,  ceremonies.  a  Ex.  525.  9. 


the  blood  of  Christ  liad  an  efficacy  in 
cleansing  the  conscience.    Vs.  13,  J  4. 

(5.)  His  blood  is  efficacious  not 
only  in  remitting  present  sins,  but  it 
extends  in  its  efficacy  even  to  past 
ages,  and  removes  the  sins  of  tiiosc 
who  had  worshipped  God  under  the 
former  covenant.     Vcr.  15. 

(6.)  The  apostle  then  proceeds  to 
show  that  it  was  necessary  that  the 
mediator  of  the  new  covenant  should 
shed  his  own  blood,  and  that  the  blood 
thus  shed  should  be  applied  to  purify 
those  for  whom  the  sacrifice  was 
made.  Vs.  16 — 23.  This  he  shows 
by  tlie  following  considerations,  viz  : 

(rt)  He  argues  it  from  tiie  nature 
of  a  covenant  or  compact,  showing 
that  it  was  ratified  only  over  dead 
sacrifices,  and  that  of  necessity  the 
victim  that  was  set  apart  to  confirm 
or  ratify  it  must  be  slain.  See  Notes 
on  Vs.  16,  17. 

(6)  The  first  covenant  was  eon- 
firmed  or  ratified  by  blood,  and  hence 
it  was  necessary  that,  since  the  '  pat- 
terns' of  the  heavenly  things  were 
sprinkled  with  blood,  the  heavenly 
things  themselves  should  be  purified 
with  better  sacrifices.  Vs.  18 — 23. 

(7.)  The  offering  made  by  the  Re- 
deemer was  to  be  made  but  once. 
This  arose  from  the  necessity  of  the 
case,  since  it  could  not  be  supposed 
that  the  mediator  would  suffer  often, 
as  the  high  priest  went  once  every 
year  into  the  most  holy  i)lacc.  He 
had  come  and  died  once  in  the  last 
dispensation  of  tilings  on  eartli,  and 
then  had  entered  into  heaven  and 
could  suffer  no  more.     Vs.  24 — 26. 

(8.)  In  the  close  of  the  ciiapter  the 
apostle  adverts  to  the  fact  that  there 
was  a  remarkable  resemblance,  in 
one  respect,  between  the  death  of 
Christ  and  tlie  death  of  all  men.  It 
was  appointed  to  them  to  die  once, 
and  but  once,  and  so  Christ  died  but 
once.  As  a  man,  it  was  in  accordance 
with  the  universal  condition  of  things 


that  he  should  die  once ;  and  in  ac 
cordance  with  the  same  condition  of 
tilings  it  was  proper  that  he  should  die 
but  once.  In  like  manner  there  was 
a  resemblance  or  fitness  in  regard  to 
what  would  occur  atlcr  deatli.  Man 
was  to  appear  at  the  judgment.  He 
was  not  to  cease  to  be,  but  would 
stand  hereafter  at  the  bar  of  God.  Iri 
like  manner,  Christ  would  again  ap- 
pear. He  did  not  cease  to  exist  when 
he  expired,  but  would  appear  again 
that  he  might  save  his  people.  Vs. 
27,  28. 

1.  Then  verily.  Or,  moreover.  The 
object  is  to  describe  the  tabernacle  in 
which  the  service  of  God  was  cele- 
brated under  the  former  dispensation, 
and  to  show  that  it  had  a  reference  to 
what  was  fiiture,  and  was  only  an  im- 
perfect representation  of  the  reality 
It  was  important  to  show  tiiis,  as  the 
Jews  regarded  the  ordinances  of  the 
tabernacle  and  of  the  whole  Lcvitical 
service  as  of  divine  appointment,  and 
of  perpetual  obligation.  The  object 
of  Paul  is  to  prove  that  they  were  to 
give  place  to  a  more  perfect  system, 
and  hence  it  was  necessary  to  discuss 
their  real  nature.  IT  The  Jirst  cove- 
nant. Tlie  word  '  covenant'  is  not  in 
tlie  Greek,  but  is  not  improperly  sup- 
plied. The  meaning  is,  tiiat  tiie  for- 
mer arrangement  or  dispensation  had 
religious  rites  and  services  connected 
with  it.  IT  Had  also  ordinances.  Marg. 
Ceremonies.  Tlic  Greek  word  means 
laws,  precepts,  ordinances;  and  tlie 
idea  is,  that  tliere  were  laws  regulat- 
ing  the  worship  of  God.  The  Jew- 
isli  institutions  aliounded  with  such 
laws,  "i  And  a  worldly  sanctuary.  The 
word  sanctuary  means  a  holy  place, 
and  is  applied  to  a  house  of  worship, 
or  a  temple.  Here  it  may  refer  citiier 
to  the  teni|)le  or  to  tiie  tabernacle.  As 
the  temple  was  constructed  after  the 
same  form  as  tiie  tabernacle,  and  had 
the  same  furniture,  the  description  of 
the  apostle  may  be  regarded  em  appli< 


A.  D.  64.J 


CHAPTER  IX. 


185 


2  For  there  was  a  tabernacle 
°  made,  the  first,  wherein  was 
the  candlestick,  and  the  table,  * 

a  Ex.  29. 1.  35.  b  Ex.  40.  4. 

cable  to  either  of  them,  and  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  determine  which  he  had  in  his 
eye.  The  term  '  worldly,'  applied  to 
'  sanctuary,'  here  means  that  it  per- 
tained to  this  world ;  it  was  contra- 
distinguished from  the  heavenly  sanc- 
tuary not  made  with  hands  where 
Christ  was  now  gone.  Comp.  vs.  11. 
24.  It  does  not  mean  that  it  was 
worldly  in  the  sense  in  which  that 
word  is  now  used  as  denoting  the  op- 
posite of  spiritual,  serious,  religious, 
but  worldly  in  the  sense  that  it  be- 
longed to  the  earth  rather  than  to  hea- 
ven ;  it  was  made  by  human  hands, 
not  directly  by  the  hands  of  God. 

2.  For  there  was  a  tabernacle  made. 
The  word  'tabernacle'  properly  means 
a  tent,  a  booth,  or  a  hut,  and  was  then 
given  by  way  of  eminence  to  the  tent 
for  public  worship  made  by  Moses  in 
the  wilderness.  For  a  description  of 
this,  see  Ex.  xxv.  In  this  place  the 
word  means  the  outer  sanctuary  or 
room  in  the  tabernacle ;  that  is,  the 
Jirst  room  which  was  entered — called 
here  '  the  first.'  The  same  word — 
uKtivrj — is  used  in  ver.  3  to  denote  the 
inner  sanctuary,  or  holy  of  holies. 
The  tabernacle,  like  the  temple  afler- 


and  the  show-bread  ; «  which  i& 
called '  the  Sanctuary. 


c  Ex.  25. 30. 

•  or,  holif. 


wards,  was  divided  into  two  parts  by 
the  veil  (Ex.  xxvi.  31,  32),  one  of 
which  was  called  '  the  holy  place,'  and 
the  other  '  the  holy  of  holies.'  The 
exact  size  of  the  two  rooms  in  the 
tabernacle  is  not  specified  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, but  it  is  commonly  supposed 
that  the  tabernacle  was  divided  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  temple  was  after- 
wards ;  that  is,  two-thirds  of  the  in. 
terior  constituted  tJie  holy  place,  and 
one-third  the  holy  of  holies.  Accord- 
ing to  this,  the  holy  place,  or  '■Jirst 
tabernacle'  was  twenty  cubits  long  by 
ten  broad,  and  the  most  holy  place 
was  ten  cubits  square.  The  whole 
length  of  the  tabernacle  was  about 
fifty-five  feet,  the  breadth  eighteen, 
and  the  height  eighteen.  In  the  tem- 
ple, the  two  rooms,  though  of  the 
same  relative  proportions,  were  of 
course  much  larger.  See  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  temple  in  the  Notes  on 
Matt.  xxi.  12.  In  both  cases,  the  holy 
place  was  at  the  east,  and  the  Holy 
of  Holies  at  the  west  end  of  the  sacred 
edifice.  The  following  cut  will  fur- 
nish a  good  illustration  of  the  taber- 
nacle when  set  up,  with  the  principal 
coverings  removed. 


16  « 


186 


llEBUEWS. 


[A.  D.  61. 


The  following  cut  represents  the  interior  of  the  tabernacle  with  tiie  veil 
between  the  lioly  and  the  most  holy  place  removed. 


Tlie  fjJlowinjT  cut  represents  the  tabernacle  in  the  wilderness,  in  relation 
to  the  tnclosure,  the  altar,  &c. 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


187 


IT  Thejirst.  The  first  room  on  enter- 
ing the  sacred  edifice,  here  called  the 
'  first  tabernacle.'  The  apostle  pro- 
ceeds now  to  enumerate  the  various 
articles  of  fiirniture  which  were  in 
the  two  rooms  of  the  tabernacle  and 

*  temple.  His  object  seems  to  be,  not 
for  information,  for  it  could  not  be 
supposed  that  they  to  whom  he  was 
writing  were  ignorant  on  this  point, 
but  partly  to  show  that  it  could  not 
be  said  that  he  spoke  of  that  of  which 
he  Jiad  no  information,  or  that  he  un- 
dervalued it ;  and  partly  to  show  tlie 
real  nature  of  the  institution,  and  to 
prove  that  it  was  of  an  imperltct  and 
typical  character,  and  had  a  designed 
reference  to  something  that  was  to 
come.  It  is  remarkable  that  though 
he  maintains  that  tl;e  whole  institu- 
tion was  a  '  figure'  of  what  was  to 
come,  and  though  he  specifies  by 
name  all  the  furniture  of  the  taber- 
nacle, he  does  not  attempt  to  explain 
tlieir  particular  typical  character,  nor 
does  he  afiirm  that  they  had  such  a 
character.  He  does  not  say  that  the 
candlestick,  and  the  table  of  show- 
bread,  and  the  ark,  and  the  cherubim 
were  designed  to  adumbrate  some 
particular  truth  or  fact  of  the  future 
dispensation,  or  had  a  designed  spiri- 
tual meaning.  It  would  have  been 
happy  if  all  expositors  had  followed 
the  example  of  Paul,  and  had  been 
content,  as  he  was,  to  state  the  facts 
about  the  tabernacle,  and  the  general 
truth  that  the  dispensation  was  in- 
tended to  introduce  a  more  perfect 
economy,  without  endeavouring  to 
explain  the  typical  import  of  every 
pin  and  pillar  of  the  ancient  place  of 
worship.  If  those  things  had  such 
a  designed  typical  reference,  it  is  re- 
markable that  Paul  did  not  go  into 
an   explanation   of  that   fact  in   the 

•  epistle  before  us.  Never  could  a 
better  opportunity  for  doing  it  occur 
than  was  furnished  here.  Yet  it  was 
not  done.  Paul  is  silent  where  many 
expositors  have  found  occasion  for 
admiration.  Where  they  have  seen 
the  profiiundest  wisdom,  he  saw  none ; 
where  they  have  fi^und  spiritual  in- 


struction in  the  various  implements 
of  divine  service  in  the  sanctuary,  he 
found  none.  Why  should  we  be  more 
wise  than  he  was  ?  Why  attempt  to 
hunt  for  types  and  shadows  where  he 
found  none  ?  And  why  should  we 
not  be  limited  to  the  views  which  he 
actually  expressed  in  regard  to  the 
design  and  import  of  the  ancient  dis- 
pensation ?  Following  an  inspired 
example  we  are  on  solid  ground,  and 
are  not  in  danger.  But  the  moment 
we  leave  that,  and  attempt  to  spiritu- 
alize everything  in  the  ancient  econ- 
omy, we  are  in  an  open  sea  without 
compass  or  chart,  and  no  one  knows 
to  what  fairy  lands  he  may  be  drifted. 
As  there  are  frequent  allusions  in»tho 
New  Testament  to  tlie  different  parts 
of  the  tabernacle  furniture  here  spe- 
cified, it  may  be  a  matter  of  interest 
and  profit  to  furnish  an  illustration 
of  the  most  material  of  them.  IT  The 
candlestick.  For  an  account  of  the 
candlestick,  see  Ex.  xxv.  31 — 37.  It 
was  made  of  pure  gold,  and  had  seven 
branches,  that  is,  three  on  each  side 
and  one  in  the  centre.  These  branches 
had  on  the  extremities  seven  golden 
lamps,  which  were  fed  with  pure  olive 
oil,  and  which  were  lighted  "  to  give 
light  over  against  it;"  that  is,  they 
shed  light  on  the  altar  of  incense,  the 
table  of  show-bread,  and  generally  on 
the  furniture  of  the  holy  place.  These 
branches  were  made  with  three  'bowls,' 
'knops,'  and  'flowers' occurring  alter- 
nately on  each  one  of  the  six  branches ; 
while  on  the  centre  or  upright  shaft 
there  were  four  '  bowls,'  '  knops,'  and 
'flowers'  of  this  kind.  These  orna- 
ments were  probably  taken  from  the 
Almond,  and  represented  the  flower 
of  that  tree  in  various  stages.  The 
'  bowls'  on  the  branches  of  the  can- 
dlestick probably  meant  the  calyx  or 
cup  of  that  plant  from  which  the  flow- 
er springs.  The  '  knops'  probably 
referred  to  some  ornament  on  the  can- 
dlestick mingled  with  the  '  bowls'  and 
the  'flowers,'  perhaps  designed  as  an 
imitation  of  the  nut  or  fruit  of  the 
almond.  The  '  flowers'  were  evidently 
ornaments  resembling  t'le  flowers  oij 


ISd 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


the  almond -tree,  wrought,  as  all  the 
rest  were,  in  pure  gold.  See  Bush's 
Notes  on  Exodus  xxv.  The  forego- 
ing beautiful  cut,  drawn  on  this  sup- 
position, will  probably  give  a  tolera- 
bly correct  view  of  the  ancient  can- 
delabrum or  candlestick.  I  introduce 
this  cut  as  being  a  fine  illustration 
furnished  by  Prof.  Eusli  of  the  can- 
dlestick itself;  with  the  views  whicii 
he  has  expressed  of  its  spiritual  refer- 
ence, however,  I  have  no  sympathy. 
The  candlestick  was  undoubtedly  de- 
signed to  furnish  light  in  the  dark 
room  of  the  tabernacle  and  temple ; 
and  in  accordance  with  the  general 
plan  of  those  edifices  was  ornamented 
after  the  most  eliaste  and  pure  views 
of  ornamental  architecture  of  those 
times — but  there  is  no  evidence  that 
its  branches,  and  bowls,  and  knops, 
and  flowers  had  each  a  peculiar  typi- 
cal significance.  Tiie  sacred  writers 
are  wholly  silent  as  to  any  such  refer- 
ence, and  it  is  not  well  to  attempt  to 
be  *  wise  above  that  which  is  written.' 
An  expositor  of  the  Scripture  cannot 
have  a  safer  guide  than  the  sacred 
writers  tliemsclves.  How  should  any 
uninspired  man  know  that  these  things 
had  such  a  peculiar  typical  significa- 
tion ? — The  candlestick  was  placed  on 


the  south,  or  left-hand  side  of  the 
holy  place  as  one  entered,  the  row  of 
lamps  being  probably  parallel  with 
the  wall.  It  was  at  first  placed  in  the 
tabernacle,  and  afterwards  removed 
into  tile  temple  built  by  Solomon. 
Its  subsequent  history  is  unknown. 
Probably  it  was  destroyed  when  the 
temple  was  taken  by  the  Chaldeans. 
The  form  of  the  candlestick  in  the 
second  temple,  whose  figure  is  pre- 
served on  the  '  Arch  of  Titus'  in  Rome, 
was  of  somewhat  different  construe- 
tion.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that  the  articles  taken  away  from  the 
temple  by  Vespasian  were  not  the 
same  as  those  made  by  Moses,  and 
Joscplius  says  expressly  that  tlie  can- 
dlcstiek  was  altered  from  its  original 
form.  ^  And  the  table.  That  is,  the 
table  on  which  the  show-bread  was 
placed.  This  table  was  made  of  shit- 
tim-wood,  overlaid  with  gold.  It  was 
two  cubits  long,  and  one  cubit  broad, 
and  a  cubit  and  a  half  higli ;  that  is, 
about  three  feet  and  a  half  in  length, 
one  foot  and  nine  inclies  wide,  and 
two  feet  and  a  half  in  height.  It  was 
furnished  with  rings  or  staples, 
through  which  were  passed  staves, 
by  whicli  it  was  carried.  These  staves, 
we  arc  informed  by  Josephus,  were 


A.  D  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


189 


removed  when  the  table  was  at  rest, 
60  tliat  they  might  not  be  in  the  way 
of  the  priests  as  they  officiated  in  the 
tabernacle.  It  stood  lengthwise  east 
and  west,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
holy  place.  ^  And  the  show-bread. 
On  the  table  just  described.  This 
bread  consisted  of  twelve  loaves, 
plated  on  the  table,  every  Sabbath. 
Tlic  Hebrews  affirm  that  they  were 
square  loaves,  having  the  four  sides 
covered  with  leaves  of  gold.  They 
were  arranged  in  two  piles,  of  course 
with  six  in  a  pile.  Lev.  xxiv.  5 — 9. 
Tlie  number  twelve  was  selected 
with  reference  to  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel.  They  were  made  without 
leaven  ;  were  renewed  each  Sabbath, 
when  the  old  loaves  were  then  taken 
away  to  be  eaten  by  the  priests  only. 
The  Hebrew  phrase  rendered  '  show- 
bread'  means  properly  '  bread  of  faces,' 
or  '  bread  of  presence.'  The  Lxx.  ren- 
der it  apTovs  ivij)Tziovi — -fdreplaced  loaves. 
In  the  New  Testament  it  is,  fi  -Kpd&eats 
tSv  apToyv — the  placi'"g  of  bread  ;  and 
in  Symmachus,  'bread  of  proposition,' 
or  placing.  Why  it  was  called  '  bread 
of  presence'  has  been  a  subject  on 
which  expositors  have  been  ..:uch  di- 
vided.    Some  have  held  that  it  was 


because  it  was  before,  or  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  symbol  of  the  divine  pre- 
sence  in  the  tabernacle,  though  in 
another  department ;  some  that  it  was 
because  it  was  set  there  to  be  seen  by 
7Hen,  rather  than  to  be  seen  by  God. 
Others  that  it  had  an  emblematic  de- 
sign,  looking  forward  to  the  Messiah 
as  the  food  or  nourishment  of  the  soul, 
and  was  substantially  the  same  as  the 
table  spread  with  the  symbols  of  the 
Saviour's  body  and  blood.  See  Bush, 
in  loc.  But  of  this  last  mentioned 
opinion,  it  may  be  asked  where  is  the 
proof  ?  It  is  not  found  in  the  account 
of  it  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  there 
is  not  the  slightest  intimation  in  the 
New  Testament  that  it  had  any  such 
design.  The  object  for  which  it  was 
placed  there  can  be  only  a  matter  of 
conjecture,  as  it  is  not  explained  in 
the  Bible,  and  it  is  more  diiScult  to 
ascertain  the  use  and  design  of  the 
shew-bread  than  of  almost  any  other 
emblem  of  the  Jewish  economy.  Cal- 
met.  Perhaps  the  true  idea,  after  all 
that  has  been  written  and  conjectured 
is,  tliat  the  table  and  the  bread  were 
for  the  sake  of  carrying  out  the  idea 
that  the  tabernacle  was  the  dwelling, 
place  of  God,  and  that  there  was  a 


190 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


3  And  after  the  second  veil," 
the  tabernacle,  which  is  called 
the  Holiest  of  all ; 

a  Ex.  2G.  31,33. 


propriety  that  it  should  be  fitted  up 
with  the  usual  appurtenances  of  a 
dwelling.  Hence  there  was  a  candle- 
stick and  a  tabic,  becauSe  these  were 
the  common  and  ordinary  furniture 
of  a  room  ;  and  the  idea  was  to  be 
kept  up  constantly  that  that  was  the 
dwelling-place  of  tlie  Most  High  by 
lighting  and  trimming  the  lamps  every 
day,  and  by  renewing  tlie  bread  on 
the  table  periodically.  The  most 
simple  explanation  of  the  phrase 
'  bread  effaces,'  or  '  bread  of  presence' 
is,  that  it  was  so  called  because  it  was 
set  before  the  face,  or  in  the  presence 
of  God  in  the  tabernacle.  The  various 
forms  wiiich  it  has  been  supposed 
would  represent  the  table  of  show-bread 
may  be  seen  in  Calmct's  Ijarge  Dic- 
tionary. The  preceding  cut  is  the 
usual  illustration  of  it.  If  the  loaves 
were  piled  above  one  another  as  they 
are  represented  in  the  cut,  they  were 
probably  separated  by  tliin  plates  of 
gold  or  some  other  substance  to  keep 
them  from  moulding.  Tlie  Jews  say 
that  they  were  separated  by  plates  of 
.gold.  V  Which  is  called  the  sanctuary. 
Marg.  '  Or,  holy.''  That  is,  the  holy 
place.  Tlic  name  sanctuary  was  com- 
monly given  to  the  whole  cdiiicc,  but 
with  strict  propriety  appertained  only 
to  this  first  room. 

3.  And  after  the  second  veil.  Tlicrc 
were  two  veils  to  the  tabernacle.  The 
one,  which  is  described  in  Ex.  xxvi. 
36,  37,  was  called  '  the  hanging  for 
the  door  of  the  tent,'  and  was  made 
of  '  blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and 
fine-twined  linen,'  and  was  suspended 
on  five  pillars  of  shittim-wood,  over- 
laid with  gold.  This  answered  for  a 
door  to  the  wliole  tabernacle.  Tlic 
second  or  inner  veil,  here  referred  to, 
divided  tlie  holy  from  the  most  holy 
place.  This  is  described  in  Ex.  xxvi. 
31 — 33.  It  was  made  of  the  same 
materials  as  the  other,  though  it  would 
Hceni  in  a  more  costly  manner,  and 


4  Which  had  the  golden  cen- 
ser, *  and  the  ark'  of  the  cove- 
nant overlaid  roupd  about  with 

b  Le.  16.  12.  c  Ex.  25.  10,  ice. 


with  more  embroidered  work.  On 
this  veil  the  figures  of  the  cherubim 
were  curiously  wrought.  The  design 
of  this  veil  was  to  separate  the  holy 
from  the  most  holy  place ;  and  in  re- 
gard to  its  symbolical  meaning  we 
can  be  at  no  loss,  for  the  apostle  Paul 
has  himself  explained  it  in  this  chap- 
ter. See  Notes  on  vs.  8—14.  ^  The 
tabernacle.  That  is,  the  inner  ta-bcr- 
nacle ;  or  that  which  more  properly 
was  called  the  tabernacle.  The  name 
was  given  to  either  of  the  two  rooms 
into  which  it  was  divided,  or  to  the 
whole  structure.  T  Which  is  called 
the  Holiest  of  all.  It  was  called  '  the 
Most  Holy  place  ;'  '  the  Holy  of  Ho- 
lies;' or  'the  Holiest  of  all.'  It  was- 
so  called  because  the  symbol  oj"  tho 
divine  presence — the  Shekinah — dwelt 
there  between  the  Cherubim. 

4.  Wliich  had  the  golden  censer. 
The  censer  was  a  Jire-pan,  made  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  fire,  in  order 
to  burn  incense  on  it  in  the  place  of 
worship.  The  forms  of  the  censer 
were  various,  but  the  following  cuts 
will  represent  those  which  are  most 
common.  Some  dilficulty  has  been 
felt  respecting  the  statement  of  Paul 
here  that  the  '  golden  censer'  was  in 
the  most  holy  place,  from  the  fact 
that  no  such  utensil  is  mentioned  by 
Moses  as  pertaining  to  the  tabernacle, 
nor  in  the  description  of  Solomon's 
temi)k",  which  was  modelled  after  the 
tabernacle,  is  there  any  account  of  it 
given.  But  the  following  considera- 
tions  will  probably  remove  the  difli 
culty.  (1.)  Paul  was  a  Jew,  and  was 
familiar  with  what  pertained  to  the 
temple,  and  gave  such  a  description 
of  it  as  would  be  in  accordance  with 
what  actually  existed  in  his  time. 
Tiic  fiict  that  .Moses  docs  not  express- 
ly mention  it,  docs  not  prove  that  in 
fact  no  such  censer  was  laid  up  in 
the  most  holy  place.  (2.)  Aaron  and 
his   successors  were   expressly  com 


A..  D.  64,] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


191 


gold,  wherein  teas  the  golden  " 
pot  that  had  manna,  and  Aaron's 

a  Ex.  16.  33.  b  Nu.  17.  10. 


rod*  that  budded,  and  the  ta- 
bles "  of  the  covenant ; 

r  Ex.  34.  29;  40.  20 ;  De.  10.  2,  5. 


manded  to  burn  incense  in  a  '  censer' 
in   the    most   holy   place    before  the 
mercy -seat.     This  was  to  be  done  on 
the  great  day  of  atonement,  and  but 
once  in  a  year.  Lev.  xvi.  12,  13.    (3.) 
There  is  every  probability  that   the 
censer  that  was  used  on  such  an  oc- 
casion was    made  of  gold.     All  the 
implements    that  were    employed  in 
the  most    holy  place  were    made  of 
gold,  or  overlaid  with  gold,  and  it  is 
in  the  highest  degree  improbable  that 
the  higii  priest  would  use  any  other 
on  80  solemn  an  occasion.     Comp.  I. 
Kings  vii.  50.     (4.)   As    the    golden 
censer  was  to  bo  used  only  once  in  a 
year,  it.  would  naturally  be  laid  away 
in  some  secure  situation,  and    none 
would  so  obviously  occur  as  the  most 
holy  place.     There  it  would  be  per- 
fectly safe.     No  one  was    permitted 
to  enter  there  but  the  high  priest,  and 


being  preserved  there  it  would  be  a., 
ways  ready  for  his  use.     The  state- 
ment of  Paul,  therefore,  has  the  high, 
est  probability,  and  undoubtedly  ac. 
cords  with  what  actually  occurred  in 
the  tabernacle  and  the  temple.     Tha 
object  of  the  incense  burned  in  wor- 
sliip  was  to  produce  an  agreeable  fra. 
grancc  or  smell.     See  Notes  on  Luke 
i.  9.     If  And  the  ark  of  the  covenant. 
This  ark  or  chest  was  made  of  shittim- 
wood,  was  two  cubits  and  a  half  long, 
a  cubit  and  a  half  broad,  and  tlie  same 
in  height.  Ex.  xxv.  10.     It  was  com- 
pletely covered  with  gold,  and  had  a 
lid,  which   was    called    the    '  mercy- 
seat,'  on  which  rested  the  Shekinah, 
the  symbol  of  the   divine   presence, 
between  the  outstretched  wings  of  the 
cherubim.     It  was  called  'the  ark  of 
the  covenant,'  because  within  it  were 
the  two  tables  of  the  covenant,  or  the 
law  of  God  written  on  tables  of  stone. 
It  was  a  simple  chest,  coffer,  or  box, 
with  little  ornament,  though  rich  in 
its    materials.     A  golden   crown    or 
moulding,  ran  around  the  top,  and  it 
had  rings  and  staves  in  its  sides  by 
which  it  might  be  borne.     Ex.  xxv. 
12 — 16.     This  ark  was  regarded  as 
the  most  sacred  of  all  the  appendages 
of  the    tabernacle.      Containing    the 
law,  and  being  the  place  where  the 
symbol    of  the  divine  presence  was 
manifested,  it  was  regarded  as  pecu- 
liarly holy,  and   in   the  various  wars 
and  revolutions  in  the  Hebrew  com. 
monvvcalth,  it  was  guarded  with  pe- 
culiar care.     After  the  passage  over 
the  Jordan  it  remained  for  some  time 
at  Gilgal  (Josh.  iv.  19),  whence  it  was 
removed  to  Shiloh.  I.  Sam.  i.  3.  From 
hence  the  Israelites  took  it  to  their 
camp,  apparently  to  animate  them  in 
battle,  but  it  was  taken  by  the  Phil- 
istines.   I.  Sam.  iv.     The  Pliilistincs, 
however,  oppressed  by  the  hand   of 
God,  resolved  to  return  it,  and  sent  it 
to  Kirjath-Jearim.  I.  Sam.  vii.  1.    In 
the  reign  of  Saul  it  was  at  Nob.    Da- 
vid  conveyed  it  to  the  house  of  Obcd- 


193 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


Edom,  and  thence  to  his  palace  on 
Mount  Zion.  II.  Sam.  vi.  At  the 
dedication  of  the  temple  it  was  placed 
in  the  Holy  of  Holies  by  Solomon, 
where  it  remained  for  many  years. 
Subsequently,  it  is  said,  the  wicked 
kings  of  Judah,  abandoning  them- 
selves to  idolatry,  establislicd  idols  in 
the  most  holy  place  itself,  and  the 
priests  removed  the  ark,  and  bore  it 
from  place  to  place  to  secure  it  from 
profanation.  Calmet.  When  Josiah 
ascended  the  tiirone  he  commanded 
the  priests  to  restore  the  ark  to  its 
place  in  the  sanctuary,  and  forbade 
them  to  carry  it  about  from  one  place 
to  another  as  tliey  had  before  done. 
II.  Chron.  xxxv.  3.  The  subsequent 
history  of  the  ark  is  unknown.  It  is 
probable  that  it  was  either  destroyed 
when  the  city  of  Jerusalem  was  taken 
by  Nebucliadnczzar,  or  that  it  was 
carried  with  other  spoils  to  Babylon. 
There  is  no  good  reason  to  suppose 
that  it  was  ever  in  tlic  second  temple, 
and  it  is  generally  admitted  by  the 
Jews  that  the  ark  of  the  covenant 
was  one  of  the  things  that  were  want- 
ing there.  Abarbanel  says,  that  the 
Jews  flatter  themselves  that  it  will  be 
restored  by  the  Messiah.  If  Wherein, 
That  is,  in  the  ark — for  so  the  con- 
struction naturally  requires.  In  I. 
Kings  viii.  9,  however,  it  is  said  that 
there  was  nothing  in  the  ark,  "  save 
the  two  tables  of  stone  which  Moses 
put  tliere  at  Horeb,"  and  it  has  been 
supposed  by  some  that  the  pot  of 
manna  and  the  rod  of  Aaron  were  not 
in  the  ark,  but  that  they  were  in  cap- 
sules, or  ledges  made  on  its  sides  for 
their  safe  keeping,  and  that  this 
should  be  rendered  '  by  the  ark.'  But 
the  apostle  uses  the  same  language 
respecting  the  pot  of  manna  and  the 
rod  of  Aaron  which  he  does  about  the 
two  tables  of  stone,  and  as  they  were 
certainly  in  the  ark,  the  fair  con- 
struction here  is  that  the  pot  of  manna 
and  the  rod  of  Aaron  were  in  it  also. 
The  account  in  Ex.  xvi.  32  —  34; 
Num.  xvii.  1 0,  is,  that  they  were  laid 
up  in  the  most  holy  place,  '  before  the 
testimony,'  and  tiiere  is  no  improba- 
tility   whatever   in    the   supposition 


that  they  were  in  the  ark.  Indeed, 
that  would  be  the  most  safe  place  to 
keep  them,  as  the  tabernacle  was 
olten  taken  down  and  removed  from 
place  to  place.  It  is  clear  from  the 
passage  in  I.  Kings  viii.  9,  that  they 
were  not  in  the  ark  in  the  temple,  but 
there  is  no  improbability  in  the  sup- 
position that  before  the  temple  was 
built  they  might  have  been  removed 
from  the  ark  and  lost.  When  the  ark 
was  carried  from  place  to  place,  or 
during  its  captivity  by  the  Philistines, 
it  is  probable  that  they  were  lost,  as 
we  never  hear  of  them  afterwards. 
IT  The  golden  pot.  In  Ex.  xvi.  33,  it 
is  simply  'a  pot,'  without  specifying 
the  material.  In  the  Septuagint  it  is 
rendered  'golden  pot,'  and  as  the 
other  utensils  of  the  sanctuary  were 
of  gold,  it  may  be  fairly  presumed 
that  this  was  also.  V  That  had 
manna.  A  small  quantity  of  manna 
which  was  to  be  preserved  as  a 
perpetual  remembrancer  of  the  food 
which  they  had  eaten  in  their  long 
journey  in  the  wilderness,  and  of  the 
goodness  of  God  in  miraculously  sup- 
plying their  wants.  As  the  manna, 
also,  would  not  of  itself  keep,  (Ex. 
xvi.  20),  the  fact  that  this  .vas  to  be 
laid  up  to  be  preserved  from  age  to 
age,  was  a  perpetual  miracle  in  proof 
of  the  presence  and  faithfulness  of 
God.  On  the  subject  of  the  manna, 
see  Busli's  Notes  on  Exodus  xvi.  15. 
IT  And  Aaron's  rod  that  budded.  That 
budded  and  blossomed  as  a  proof  that 
God  had  chosen  him  to  minister  to 
him.  The  princes  of  the  tribes  were 
disposed  to  rebel,  and  to  call  in  ques- 
tion the  authority  of  Aaron.  To  settle 
the  matter,  each  one  was  required  to 
take  a  rod  or  staff  of  office,  and  to 
bring  it  to  Moses  with  the  name  of 
the  tribe  to  which  it  appertained 
written  on  it.  These  were  laid  up  by 
Moses  in  the  tabernacle,  and  it  was 
found  on  the  next  day  that  the  rod 
marked  with  the  name  of  Levi  had 
budded,  and  blossomed,  and  produced 
almonds.  In  perpetual  remembrance 
of  this  miracle,  the  rod  was  preserved 
in  the  ark.  Num.  xvii.  Its  subse- 
quent history  is  unknown-     It  was 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


199 


5  And  over  it  the  cherubim" 
of  glory  shadowing  the  mercy- 


a  Ex.  25.  18,  22. 


not  in  tlie  ark  when  the  temple  was 
built,  nor  is  there  any  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  it  was  preserved  to  that 
time.  11  And  the  tables  of  the  covenant. 
The  two  tables  of  stone  on  which  the 
ten  commandments  were  written. 
They  were  expressly  called  '  the 
words  of  the  covenant'  in  Ex.  xxxiv. 
28.  On  the  word  covenant,  see  Notes 
on  vs.  1 6  and  1 7  of  this  chapter.  These 
two  tables  were  in  the  ark  at  the  time 
the  temple  was  dedicated.  I.  Kings 
viii.  9.  Their  subsequent  history  is 
unknown.  It  is  probable  that  they 
ehared  the  fate  of  the  ark,  and  were 
either  carried  to  Babylon,  cr  were 
destroyed  vdien  the  city  was  taken 
by  Nebuchadnezzar. 

5.  And  over  it.  That  is,  over  the 
ark.  IT  The  cherubim  of  glory.  A 
Hebrew  mode  of  expression,  meaning 
the  glorious  cherubim.  The  word 
cherubim  is  the  Hebrew  form  of  the 
plural,  of  which  cherub  is  the  singu- 
lar. The  word  glory  used  liere  in 
connexion  with  '  cherubim,^  refers  to 
the  splendour,  or  magnificence  of  the 
image,  as  being  carved  with  great 
skill,  and  covered  v/ith  gold.  There 
were  two  cherubim  on  the  ark,  placed 
on  the  lid  in  such  a  manner  that  their 
faces  looked  inward  towards  each 
other,'  and  downward  toward  the 
They  stretched  out  their 
high,'  and  covered  the 
or  the  lid  of  the  ark. 
-20.  Comp.  I.  Kings 
viii.  6,  7  ;  I.  Chron.  xxviii.  18.  In  tlie 
temple,  the  cherubim  were  made  of 
the  olive  tree,  and  were  ten  cubits 
high.  They  were  overlaid  with  gold, 
and  were  so  placed  that  the  wing  of 
one  touched  the  wall  on  one  side  of 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  that  of  the 
other  the  other  side,  and  their  wings 
met  together  over  the  ark.  I.  Kings 
vi.  23 — 28.  It  is  not  probable,  how- 
ever, that  this  was  the  form  used  in 
the  tabernacle,  as  wings  thus  expand- 
ed would  have  rendered  it  inconve- 


mercy-seat. 
wings  'on 
mercy-seat, 
Ex.  XX v.  18- 


seat;  of  which  we  cannot  now 
speak  particularly. 


nient  to  carry  them  from  place  to 
place.  Of  the  form  and  design  of  the 
cherubim  much  has  been  written,  and 
much  that  is  the  mere  creation  of 
fancy,  and  the  fruit  of  wild  conjec- 
ture. Their  design  is  not  explained 
in  the  Bible,  and  silence  in  regard  to 
it  would  have  been  wisdom.  If  they 
were  intended  to  be  symbolical,  as  is 
certainly  possible,  (comp.  Ezek.  x.  20 
— 22),  it  is  impossible  now  to  deter- 
mine the  object  of  the  symbol.  Who 
is  authorized  to  explain  it  ?  Who 
can  give  to  his  speculations  anything 
more  than  the  authority  of  pious  con- 
jecture ?  And  of  what  advantage, 
therefore,  can  speculation  be,  where 
the  volume  of  inspiration  says  no 
thing  ?  They  who  wish  to  examine 
this  subject  more  fully,  with  the  va- 
rious opinions  that  have  been  formed 
on  it,  may  consult  the  following 
works,  viz :  Calmet's  Dictionary, 
Fragment  No.  152,  with  the  numer- 
ous illustrations ;  Bush's  Notes  on 
Exodus  XXV.  18 ;  and  the  Quarterly 
Christian  Spectator,  vol.  viii.  pp.  368 
— 388.  Drawings  resembling  the  che- 
rubim were  not  uncommon  on  ancient 


17 


194 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  61. 


a  Nu.  28.  3. 


6   Now    when    these    things '  went  always   into  the  first  ta- 
were  thus  ordained,  the  priests"  |  bernacle,  accomplishing  the  ser- 
vice o/"  God. 

Tlie  common  rrprcsciitation  of  tlie 
ark  and  cherubim  is  something  like 
the  followingf,  w  liich  may  perhaps  be  as 
correct  as  it  is  possible  now  to  furnish. 


sculptures.  The  preceding  winged 
figure  taken  from  the  sculpture  at 
Persepolis  may  perhaps  have  been  a 
rude   image  of  tlie   ancient  cherub. 


■.^;llll«lllu^llllll^m»^l^w,u^ll'l^lui,'Ml'Wvilu^Mlll"HH|l|ll'Hy 


\  Shadowing.  Stretching  out  its  wings  i 
BO  as  to  cover  the  mercy-seat.    IT  The  ] 
mercy-seat.     Tlie  cover  of  the  ark  on  ; 
which  rested  the  cloud  or  visible  sym- 
liol   of  Uio  divine  presence.     It  was 
called  '  mercy-seat,'  or  propitiatory —  j 
IXaaTj/piov— because  it  was  this  which 
was  sprinkled  over  with  the  blood  of  I 
atonement    or    propitiation,   and    be-  ! 
cause  it  was  from  tliis  place,  on  which  ! 
the  symbol  of  th(5  deity  rested,  that 
God  manifested  himscli  as  propitious 
to  sinners.     Tlie  blood  of  the  atone- 
ment was  lliat  through  or  by  means 
of  which  he  declared  his  mercy  to  the 
guilty.     Here  God  was  supposed  to 
be  seated,  and  from  this  place  he  was 
Bupposcd  to  dispense  mercy  to  man 
when  the  blood  of  the  atonement  was 


sprinkled  there.  Tiiis  was  undoubt- 
edly designed  to  be  a  symbol  of  his 
dispensing  mere}'  to  men  in  virtue  of 
the  blood  which  the  Saviour  shed  as 
the  great  sacrifice  for  guilt.  See  vs. 
13,  14.  If  Of  which  we  cannot  now 
speak  particularly.  That  is,  it  13 
not  my  present  design  to  speak  par- 
ticularly of  these  things.  These  mat- 
tcrs  were  well  understood  by  those  to ' 
whom  he  wrote, and  his  object  did  not 
rc(|aire  him  to  go  into  a  fuller  cxpla- 
nation. 

C.  llTc/i  these  things  were  thus  or- 
dained. Thus  arranged  or  appointed 
Having  shown  what  the  tabernacle 
iras,the  a|)ostlc  proceeds  to  show  what 
was  done  in  it.  ^  The  priests  went 
always  into  the  Jirst  tabernacle.    Tho 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


195 


7  But  into  the  second  went 
the  high  priest  alone  "once  eve- 
ry year,  not  without  blood, 
which  he  offered  for  *  himself, 
and  for  the  errors  of  the  peo- 
ple : 

a  Ex.  30.  10  ;  Le.  10.  2,  &c.        b  c.  5.  3. 

outer  tabernacle  called  the  holy  place. 
They  were  not  permitted  to  enter  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  that  being  entered 
only  once  in  a  year  by  the  High 
Priest.  The  holy  place  was  entered 
every  day  to  make  the  morning  and 
evening  oblation.  IT  Accomplishing 
the  service  of  God.  Performing  the 
acts  of  worship  which  God  had  ap- 
pointed— burning  incense,  &c.  Lulie 
i.  9. 

7.  But  into  the  second.  The  second 
apartment  or  room,  called  the  most 
holy  place.  Ver.  3.  IT  Went  the  high 
priest  alone  once  every  year.  On  the 
great  day  of  atonement.  Ex.  xxx.  1 0. 
On  that  day  he  probably  entered  the 
Holy  of  Holies  three  or  four  times, 
first  to  burn  incense.  Lev.  xvi.  12; 
then  to  sprinkle  the  blood  of  the  bul- 
lock on  the  mercy-seat.  Lev.  xvi.  14; 
then  he  was  to  kill  the  goat  of  the 
sin-oifering,  and  bring  that  blood  with- 
in the  veil  and  sprinkle  it  also  on  tJie 
mercy-seat,  and  then,  perhaps,  he  en- 
tered again  to  bring  out  the  golden 
censer.  The  Jewish  tradition  is,  that 
lie  entered  the  Holy  of  Holies  four 
times  on  that  day.  After  all,  how- 
ever, the  number  of  times  is  not  cer- 
tain, nor  is  it  material,  the  only  im- 
portant point  being  that  he  entered  it 
only  on  one  day  of  the  year,  while 
the  holy  place  was  entered  every  day. 
T  Not  loithont  hlood.  That  is,  he  bare 
with  him  blood  to  sprinkle  on  the 
mercy-seat.  Tliis  was  the  blood  of 
the  bullock  and  of  the  goat — borne  in 
at  two  different  times.  IT  Which  he 
offered  for  himself.  The  blood  of  the 
bullock  was  offered  for  himself  and 
for  his  house  or  family — thus  keeping 
impressively  before  his  own  mind  and 
the  mind  of  the  people  tlie  fact  that 
the  priests  even  of  tlie  highest  order 
were  sinners,  and  needed  expiation 


8  The  Holy  Ghost  this  sig-- 
nifying-,  That  the  way  '  into 
the  holiest  of  all  was  not  yet 
made  manifest,  while  as  the 
first  tabernacle  was  yet  stand- 
ing: 

e  Jno.  14.  6  ;  c.  10.  19,  20. 

like  others.  Lev.  xvi.  12.  IT  And  for 
the  errors  of  the  people.  The  blood 
of  the  goat  was  offered  for  them.  Lev. 
xvi.  15.  The  word  rendered  errors — 
ayvorina — denotes  properly  ignorance, 
involuntary  error ;  and  then  error  or 
fault  in  general — the  same  as  the  He- 
brew nJlK/p — from  nJK' — to  err.  The 
object  was  to  make  expiation  for  all 
the  errors  and  sins  of  the  people,  and 
this  occurred  once  in  the  year.  The 
repetition  of  these  sacrifices  was  a 
constant  remembrancer  of  sin,  and 
the  design  was  that  neither  the  priests 
nor  the  people  should  lose  sight  of  the 
fact  that  they  were  violators  of  the 
law  of  God. 

8.  The  Holy  Ghost.  Who  appoint, 
ed  all  this.  The  whole  arrangement 
in  the  service  of  the  tabernacle  is 
represented  as  having  been  under  the 
direction  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  this 
was  one  of  his  methods  of  teaching 
the  great  truths  of  religion,  and  of 
keeping  them  before  the  minds  of 
men.  Sometimes  that  Spirit  taught 
by  direct  revelation ;  sometimes  by 
the  written  word;  and  sometimes  by 
symbols.  The  tabernacle,  with  its 
different  apartments,  utensils,  and  ser- 
vices, was  a  permanent  means  of  keep, 
ing  important  truths  before  the  minds 
of  the  ancient  people  of  God.  IT  This 
signifying.  That  is,  showing  this 
truth,  or  making  use  of  this  arrange- 
ment to  impress  this  truth  on  the 
minds  of  men  that  the  way  into  the 
holiest  of  all  was  not  yet  made  mani. 
fest.  IT  That  the  way  into  the  holiest 
of  all.  Into  heaven  —  of  which  the 
Most  Holy  place  in  the  tabernacle 
was  undoubtedly  designed  to  be  an 
emblem.  It  was  the  place  where  the 
visible  symbol  of  God — the  Shekinah 
— dwelt ;  where  the  blood  of  propitieu 


196 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


9  Which  tons  a  figure  for  the 
time  then  present,  in  which 
were  oH'ered  both  gifts  and  sa- 

a  Ps.  40.  6,  7 ;  Ga.  3.  21 ;  c.  10  1,  H. 


lion  was  sprinkled,  and  was,  there- 
fore,  an  appropriate  cniblem  of  that 
holy  heaven  where  God  dwells,  and 
whence  pardon  is  obtained  by  the 
blood  of  the  atonement.  If  Was  not 
yet  made  manifest.  The  way  to  hea- 
ven was  not  opened  or  fully  under- 
stood. It  was  not  known  how  men 
could  appear  before  God,  or  how  they 
could  come  with  the  hope  of  pardon. 
That  way  has  now  been  opened  by 
the  ascension  of  the  Redeemer  to  hea- 
ven, and  by  the  assurance  that  all 
who  will  may  come  in  his  name. 
IT  While  as  the  Jirst  tabernacle  teas 
yet  standing.  As  long  as  it  stood, 
and  the  appointed  services  were  held 
in  it.  The  idea  is,  that  until  it  was 
superseded  by  a  more  perfect  system, 
it  was  a  proof  that  the  way  to  heaven 
was  not  yet  fully  and  freely  opened, 
and  that  tiie  Holy  Ghost  designed  that 
it  should  be  such  a  proof.  The  apos- 
tle does  not  specify  in  what  the  proof 
consisted,  but  it  may  have  been  in 
something'  like  the  following.  (1.)  It 
was  a  mere  symbol,  and  not  the  real- 
ity— showing  that  the  true  way  was 
not  yet  fully  understood.  (2.)  It  was 
entered  but  once  a  year  —  showing 
that  there  was  not  access  at  all  times. 
(3.)  It  was  entered  only  by  the  High 
Fricst — showing  that  there  was  not 
free  and  full  access  to  all  the  people. 
(4.)  It  was  accessible  only  by  Jews — 
showing  that  the  way  in  which  all 
men  might  be  saved  was  not  then  fully 
revealed.  The  sense  is,  that  it  was 
a  system  of  types  and  shadows,  in 
which  there  were  many  burdensome 
rites  and  many  things  to  prevent  men 
from  coming  before  the  symbol  of  the 
divinity,  and  was,  therefore,  an  int. 
perfect  wystem.  All  these  obstruc- 
tions are  now  removed ;  the  Saviour 
— the  great  High  Priest  of  his  people 
— has  entered  heaven  and  '  opened  it 
to  all  true  believers,'  and  all  of  every 
nation  may  now  have  free  access  to 


crifices,  that  could  not  »  make 
him  that  did  the  service  perfect, 
as  pertaining  to  the  conscience ;  * 

b  Ps.  151.  16-19. 


God.     See  vcr.  12.    Comp.  ch.  x.  19 

22. 

9.  Which  was  a  figure  for  the  time 
then  present.  That  is,  as  long  as  the 
tabernacle  stood.  The  word  rendered 
.figure — JTapaiioXl) — is  not  the  same  as 
type — Tuirof — (Rom.  v.  14;  Acts  vii. 
43,  44  ;  John  xx.  25  ;  I.  Cor.  x.  6.  1 1  ; 
Phil.  iii.  17,  et  al.) — but  is  the  word 
commonly  rendered  parable.  Matt 
xiii.  3.  lU.  13.  18.  24,31.33—36.  53; 
XV.  15,  et  sccpe,  and  means  proi^erly  a 
placing  side  by  side ;  then  a  compa. 
rison,  or  similitude.  Here  it  is  used 
in  the  sense  of  image,  or  symbol  — 
something  to  represent  other  things. 
The  idea  is,  that  the  arrangements 
and  services  of  the  tabernacle  were  a 
representation  of  important  realities, 
and  of  things  which  were  more  fully 
to  be  revealed  at  a  future  period. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Paul  meant 
to  say  that  this  service  in  general  was 
symbolical  or  typical,  though  this 
will  not  authorize  us  to  attempt  to 
spiritualize  every  minute  arrange- 
ment of  it.  Some  of  the  things  in 
which  it  was  typicil  are  specified  by 
the  apostle  himself,  and  wisdom  and 
safety  in  explaining  the  arrangements 
of  the  tabernacle  and  its  services  con- 
sist in  adhering  very  closely  to  the 
explanations  furnished  by  the  inspired 
writers.  An  interpreter  is  on  an  open 
sea,  to  be  driven  he  knows  not  whi- 
ther, when  he  takes  leave  of  these 
safe  pilots.  ^  Both  gifts.  Thank-of- 
ferings. IT  And  sacrifices.  Bloody  of^ 
ferings.  The  idea  is,  that  all  kinds 
of  offerings  to  God  w^re  made  there. 
If  Thai  could  not  make  him  that  did 
the  service  perfect.  That  could  not 
take  away  sin,  and  remove  the  stains 
of  guilt  on  the  soul.  Note  ch.  vii.  11 ; 
comp.  ch.  viii.  7;  vii.  27;  x.  1.  11. 
If  As  pertaining  to  the  conscience. 
They  related  mainly  to  outward  and 
ceremonial  rites,  and  even  when  offer- 
ings were  made  for  sin  the  conscience 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


197 


10  Which  stood  only  in  meats'^ 
and  drinks,  and  divers  wash- 
ings, *  and  carnal '  ordinances, ' 

a  Le  11.  2,  &.c.  b  Nu.  19.  7,  &c. 

was  not  relieved.  They  could  not 
expiate  guilt;  they  could  not  make 
the  soul  pure  ;  they  could  not  of  them- 
selves impart  peace  to  the  soul  by  re- 
conciling it  to  God.  They  could  not 
fully  accomplish  vs^hat  the  conscience 
needed  to  have  done  in  order  to  give 
it  peace.  Nothing  will  do  this  but 
the  blood  of  the  Redeemer. 

10.  Which  stood  only  in  meats  and 
drinks.  The  idea  is,  that  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  Jews,  in  connexion  with 
the  services  of  religion,  consisted 
much  of  laws  pertaining  to  what  was 
lawful  to  eat  and  drink,  &:.c.  A  con- 
siderable part  of  those  laws  related 
to  the  distinction  between  clean  and 
unclean  beasts,  and  to  such  arrange- 
ments as  were  designed  to  keep  them 
externally  distinct  trom  other  nations. 
It  is  possible  also  that  there  may  be 
a  reference  here  to  meat  and  drink 
offerings.  On  the  grammatical  diffi- 
culties of  this  verse,  see  Stuart  on  the 
Hebrews,  in  loc.  If  And  divers  wash- 
ings.  The  various  ablutions  which 
were  required  in  the  service  of  the  ta- 
bernacle and  the  temple — washing  of 
the  hands,  of  the  victim  that  was  to 
be  offered,  &,c.  It  was  for  this  pur- 
pose  that  the  laver  was  erected  in 
front  of  the  tabernacle  (Ex.  xxx.  18  ; 
xxxi.  9  ;  XXXV.  Iti),  and  that  the  bra- 
zen sea  and  the  lavers  were  constructed 
in  connexion  with  the  temple  of  Solo- 
mon. II.  Chron.  iv.  3 — 5;  I.  Kings 
vii.  26.  The  Greek  word  here  is  bap- 
tisms. On  its  meaning,  see  Notes  on 
Matt.  iii.  6  ;  Mark  vii.  4.  IT  And  carnal 
ordinances.  Marg.  '  Or,  riles,  or  cere- 
monies.^ Gr. '  Ordinances  of  the  fltsh ;' 
that  is,  which  pertained  to  the  flesli, 
or  to  external  ceremonies.  The  ob- 
ject was  rather  to  keep  them  exter- 
nally pure  than  to  cleanse  the  con- 
science and  make  them  holy  in  heart. 
IT  Imposed  on  them.  Laid  on  them — 
iTHKcifieva.  It  does  not  mean  that  there 
*vvas  any  oppression  or  injustice  in  re- 
17* 


imposed  on  them  until  the  time 
of  reformation. 

ll  But  Christ  beincr  come  an 


1  or,  riles  or  ceremonies. 


c  Ep.  2.  15. 


gard  to  these  ordinances,  but  that 
they  were  appointed  for  a  temporary 
purpose.  If  Until  the  time  of  reforma- 
tion. The  word  here  rendered  refor- 
mation —  (5tdf)Sa)(r(j  —  means  properly 
emendation,  improvement,  reform.  It 
refers  to  putting  a  thing  in  a  right 
condition  ;  making  it  better  ;  or  rais- 
ing up  and  restoring  that  which  is 
fallen  down.  Passow.  Here  the  re- 
ference is  undoubtedly  to  the  gospel 
as  being  a  better  system — a  putting 
things  where  they  ought  to  he.  Comp. 
Notes  on  Acts  iii.  21.  The  idea  here 
is,  that  those  ordinances  were  only 
temporary  in  their  nature,  and  were 
designed  to  endure  till  a  more  perfect 
system  should  be  introduced.  They 
were  of  value  to  introduce  that  better 
system  ;  they  were  not  adapted  to  pu- 
rify the  conscience  and  remove  the 
stains  of  guilt  from  the  soul. 

11.  But  Christ  being  come.  Now 
that  the  Messiah  has  come,  a  more 
perfect  system  is  introduced  by  which 
the  conscience  may  be  made  free  from 
guilt.  If  An  high  priest  of  good  things 
to  come.  See  ch.  x.  1.  The  apostle 
having  described  the  tabernacle,  and 
shown  wherein  it  was  defective  in 
regard  to  the  real  wants  of  sinners, 
proceeds  now  to  describe  the  Christian 
system,  and  to  show  how  that  met 
the  real  condition  of  man,  and  espe- 
cially how  it  was  adapted  to  remove 
sin  from  the  soul.  The  phrase  '  high 
priest  of  good  things  to  come,'  seems 
to  refer  to  those  '  good  things'  which 
belonged  to  the  dispensation  that  i£ias 
to  come ;  that  is,  the  dispensation 
under  the  Messiah.  The  Jews  anti- 
cipated  great  blessings  in  that  time. 
Tlicy  looked  forward  to  better  tlun»« 
than  they  enjoyed  under  the  old  dis- 
pensation.  They  expected  more  sig. 
nal  proofs  of  tlie  divine  favour ;  a 
clearer  knowledge  of  the  way  of  par. 
don  ;  and  more  eminent  spiritual  en- 
joyments.   Of  these,  the  apostle  savg 


ITO 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


high  »  priest  of  pootl  *  thinrrs 
to  come,  by  ;i  greater'  and  more 
perfect    tabernacle,    not    ihade 

a  c.  3.  1.  6  c.  10.  1. 

that  Christ,  wlio  liad  come,  was  now 
tlie  high  priest.  It  was  he  by  whom 
they  were  procured ;  and  tiic  time 
had  actually  arrived  when  they  might 
enjoy  the  long-aulicipated  good  things 
under  the  Messiaii.  If  By  a  greater 
and  more  perfect  tabernacle.  The 
meaning  is,  that  Christ  officiated  as 
high  priest  in  a  mucii  more  magnifi- 
cent and  perfect  temple  than  cither 
the  tabernacle  or  the  temple  under 
the  old  dispensation.  lie  performed 
the  great  functions  of  his  priestly  of- 
fice— the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of 
the  atonement  —  in  heaven  itself,  of 
which  the  most  holy  place  in  the  ta- 
bernacle was  but  the  emblem.  The 
Jewish  high  priest  entered  tlie  sanc- 
tuary made  with  hands  to  minister 
before  God  ;  Christ  entered  into  hea- 
ven itself.  The  word  '  by^  here — i3<u — 
means  probably  through,  and  the  idea 
is,  that  Christ  passed  through  a  more 
perfect  tabernacle  on  his  way  to  the 
mercy-seat  in  heaven  than  the  Jew- 
ish high  priest  did  when  he  passed 
through  the  outer  tabernacle  (ver.  "2), 
and  through  the  veil  into  the  most 
holy  place.  Probably  the  idea  in  the 
mind  of  the  writer  was  that  of  the 
Saviour  passing  through  the  visible 
heavens  above  us,  to  which  the  veil, 
'  dividing  the  holy  from  the  most  holy 
place  in  the  temple,  bore  some  resem- 
blance. Many,  however,  have  under- 
stood the  word  '  tabernacle'  here  as 
denoting  the  body  of  Christ  (see  Gro- 
tius  and  Bloonifield  in  loc.) ;  and  ac- 
cording to  tills  the  idea  is,  that  Christ 
by  means  of  his  own  body  and  l)lood 
offered  as  a  sacrifice,  entered  into  the 
most  holy  place  in  heaven.  But  it 
seems  to  me  that  the  whole  scope  of 
ttle  passage  requires  us  to  understand 
it  of  the  more  perfect  temple  in  hea- 
ven where  Christ  performs  his  minis- 
try, and  of  which  tlie  tabernacle  of 
the  Hebrews  was  but  the  emblem. 
Christ  did  not  belong  to  the  tribe  of 
Levi ;  lie  was  not  an  high  ]>riest  of 


with  hands,  that  is  to  say,  not 
of  this  building, 

I'J   Neither  by  the  blood  of 


e  c.  8.  2, 


the  order  of  Aaron  ;  he  did  not  enter 
the  holy  place  on  earth,  but  he  entered 
the  heaven.s,  and  perfects  the  work 
of  his  ministry  there.  ^  Not  made 
with  hands.  A  phrase  that  properly 
describes  heaven  as  being  fitted  up  by 
God  himself.  See  Notes  on  II.  Cor. 
V.  I.  IT  Not  of  this  building.  Gr.  'of 
this  creation — ktIccu)!.  The  meaning 
is,  that  the  place  where  he  officiates 
is  not  fitted  up  by  human  power  and 
art,  but  is  the  work  of  God.  The  ob- 
ject is  to  show  that  his  ministry  is 
altogether  more  perfect  than  that 
which  could  be  rendered  by  a  Jewish 
priest,  and  performed  in  a  temple 
which  could  not  have  been  reared  by 
human  skill  and  power. 

12.  Neither  by  the  blood  of  goats 
and  calves.  The  Jewish  sacrifice 
consisted  of  the  shedding  of  the  blood 
of  animals.  On  the  great  day  of  the 
atonement  the  high  priest  took  with 
him  into  the  most  holy  place  (1)  the 
blood  of  a  young  bullock  (Lev.  xvi.  3. 
11),  which  is  here  called  the  blood  of 
a  '  calf,'  which  he  offered  for  his  own 
sin ;  and  (2)  the  blood  of  a  goat,  as 
a  sin-offering  for  others.  Lev.  xvi.  9, 
15.  It  was  by,  or  by  means  of — iia — 
blood  thus  sprinkled  on  the  mercy- 
scat,  that  the  high  priest  'sought  the 
forgiveness  of  his  own  sins  and  the 
sins  of  the  people.  IT  But  hy  his  own 
blood.  That  is,  by  his  own  blood  shed 
for  the  remission  of  sins.  The  mean- 
ing is,  that  it  was  in  virtue  of  his  own 
blood,  or  hy  means  of  that,  that  he 
sought  the  pardon  of  his  people.  That 
blood  was  not  shed  for  himself — for 
he  had  no  sin  —  and  consequently 
there  was  a  material  difference  be- 
tween his  otlering  and  that  of  the 
Jewish  high  priest.  The  difference 
related  to  such  points  as  these.  (1.) 
The  offering  whicli  Christ  made  was 
wholly  for  others  ;  that  of  the  Jewish 
priest  tor  himself  as  well  as  for  tlioni. 
(2.)  Tlie  blood  offered  by  the  Jcv.ish . 
priest  was  that  of  aiiini.ils;  that  offer. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


199 


goats  °  and  calves,  but  by  his 
own* blood,  he  entered  in  once 
into  the  holy  place, '  having  ob- 
tained eternal  redemption  for 
tis. 

a  c.  10. 4. 

b  Ac.  20.28;  1  Pe.  1.  18,  19;  Re.  1.5. 

ed  by  the  Saviour  was  his  own.  (3.) 
That  offered  by  the  Jewish  priest 
was  only  an  emblem  or  type — for  it 
could  not  take  away  sin ;  that  offered 
by  Christ  had  a  real  efficacy,  and  re- 
moves transgression  from  the  soul. 
IT  He  entered  into  the  holy  place.  Hea- 
ven. The  meaning  is,  that  as  the 
Jewish  high  priest  bore  the  blood  of 
the  animal  into  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
and  sprinkled  it  there  as  the  means 
of  expiation,  so  the  offering  which 
Christ  has  to  make  in  heaven,  or  the 
consideration  on  which  be  pleads  for 
the  pardon  of  his  people,  is  the  blood 
which  he  shed  on  Calvary.  Having 
made  the  atonement,  he  now  pleads 
the  merit  of  it  as  a  reason  why  sin- 
ners should  be  saved.  It  is  not,  of 
course,  meant  that  he  literally  bore 
his  own  blood  into  heaven — as  the 
high  priest  did  the  blood  of  the  bul- 
lock and  the  goat  into  the  sanctuary  ; 
or  that  he  literally  sprinkled  it  on  the 
mercy-seat  there,  but  that  that  blood, 
having  been  shed  for  sin,  is  now  the 
ground  of  his  pleading  and  interces- 
sion for  the  pardon  of  sin — as  the 
sprinkled  blood  of  the  Jewish  sacrifice 
was  the  ground  of  the  pleading  of  the 
Jewish  high  priest  for  the  pardon  of 
himself  and  the  people.  "^  Having 
obtained  eternal  redemption  for  us. 
That  is,  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood. 
On  the  meaning  of  the  word  redemp- 
tion, see  Notes  on  Gal.  iii.  13.  The 
redemption  which  the  Lord  Jesus 
effected  for  his  people  is  eternal.  It 
will  continue  for  ever.  It  is  not  a 
temporary  deliverance  leaving  the  re- 
deemed in  danger  of  falling  into  sin 
and  ruin,  but  it  makes  salvation 
secure,  and  in  its  effects  extends 
through  eternity.  Who  can  estimate 
the  extent  of  that  love  which  pur- 
chased  for   us  such  a   redemption  ? 


13  For  if  the  blood  of  bulls 
and  of  goats,  and  the  ashes  <*  of 
an  heifer  sprinkling  the  un- 
clean, sanctifieth  to  the  purify- 
ing of  the  flesh ; 


c  c.  10.  19. 


d  Nu.  19.  2—17. 


Who  can  be  sufficiently  grateful  that 
he  is  thus  redeemed  ?  The  doctrine 
in  this  verse  is,  that  the  blood  of 
Christ  is  the  means  of  redemption, 
or  atones  for  sin.  In  the  following 
verses  the  apostle  shows  that  it  not 
only  makes  atonement  for  in,  but 
that  it  is  the  means  of  sanctifying  or 
purifying  the  soul. 

13.  For  if  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of 
goats.  Referring  still  to  the  great 
day  of  atonement,  when  the  offering 
made  was  the  sacrifice  of  a  bullock 
and  a  goat.  IT  And  the  ashes  of  an 
heifer.  For  an  account  of  this,  see 
Numbers  xix.  2 — 10.  In  ver.  9,  it  is 
said  that  the  ashes  of  the  heifer,  after 
it  was  burnt,  should  be  kept  '  for  a 
water  of  separation;  it  is  a  purifica- 
tion for  sin.'  That  is,  the  ashes  were 
to  be  carefully  preserved,  and  being 
mixed  with  water  were  sprinkled  on 
those  who  were  from  any  cause  cere- 
monially impure.  The  reason  for 
this  appears  to  have  been  that  the 
heifer  was  considered  as  a  sacrifice 
whose  blood  has  been  offered,  and  the 
application  of  the  ashes  to  which  she 
had  been  burnt  was  regarded  as  an 
evidence  of  participation  in  that  sa- 
crifice. It  was  needful,  where  the 
laws  were  so  numerous  respecting 
external  pollutions,  or  where  the  mem 
bcrs  of  the  Jewish  community  were 
regarded  as  so  frequently  '  unclean' 
by  contact  with  dead  bodies,  and  in 
various  other  ways,  that  there  should 
be  some  method  in  which  they  could 
be  declared  to  be  cleansed  from  their 
'  uncleanness.'  The  nature  of  tliose 
institutions  also  required  that  Miis 
should  be  in  connexion  with  sacrijice, 
and  in  order  to  this,  it  was  arranged 
that  there  should  be  this  pei  manent 
sacrijice — the  ashes  of  the  heifer  that 
had  been  sacrificed — of  which  they 


200 


IIKBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


14  How  much  more  shall  the 


could  avail  themselves  at  any  time, 
without  the  expense  and  delay  of 
making  a  hloody  otVcrin<r  spceifically 
for  the  occasion.  It  was,  therefore, 
a  provision  of  convenience,  and  at 
the  same  time  was  dcsig-ned  to  keep 
up  the  idea,  that  all  puritication  was 
somehow  connected  with  the  shed- 
ding of  blood.  IT  Sprinkling  the  vn. 
clean.  Mingled  with  water,  and 
sprinkled  on  the  unclean.  The  word 
unclean  here  refers  to  such  as  had 
been  defiled  by  contact  with  dead 
bodies,  or  when  one  had  died  in  the 
family,  &c.  See  Num.  .\ix.  11—22. 
^  Sanctijieth  to  the  purifying  of  the 
flesh.  Makes  holy  so  far  as  the"  flesh 
or  body  is  concerned.  The  unelean- 
ness  here  referred  to  related  to  the 
body  only,  and  of  course  the  means 
of  cleansing  extended  only  to  tlint. 
It  was  not  designed  to  give  peace  to 
the  conscience,  or  to  expiate  moral 
offences.  The  offering  thus  made  re- 
moved the  obstructions  to  the  worship 
of  God  so  far  as  to  allow  him  who  had 
been  defiled  to  approach  him  in  a  re- 
gular manner.  Thus  much  the  apos- 
tle allows  was  accomplished  by  tlie 
Jewish  rites.  They  had  an  efficacy 
in  removing  ceremonial  uncleanness, 
and  in  rendering  it  proper  that  he 
who  had  been  polluted  should  be  per- 
mitted again  to  approach  and  worship 
God.  Tlie  apostle  goes  on  to  argue 
that  if  they  had  such  an  efficacy,  it 
was  fair  to  presume  that  tlie  blood  of 
Christ  would  have  far  greater  effi- 
cacy, and  would  reach  to  the  con- 
science itself,  and  make  tliat  pure. 

14.  How  much  more  shall  the  blood 
of  Christ.  As  being  infinitely  more 
precious  than  the  blood  of  an  animal 
could  possibly  be.  If  the  blood  of  an 
animal  had  any  efficacy  at  all,  even 
in  removing  ceremonial  pollutions, 
how  nmch  more  is  it  reasonable  to 
suppose  may  be  effected  by  the  blood 
of  the  Son  of  God  !  t  Who  through 
the  eternal  Spirit.  This  expression  is 
very  diflicult,  and  lias  given  rise  to  a 
great  variety  of  interpretation. — Some 


blood  of  Christ,  who  "  through 

a  1  Vc.  3.  18. 

MSS.  instead  of  eternal  here,  read 
holy,  making  it  refer  directly  to  the 
Holy  Spirit.  See  Welsiein.  These  va- 
rious readings,  however,  are  not  re- 
garded as  of  suthcient  authority  to 
lead  to  a  change  in  the  text,  and  are 
of  importance  only  as  showing  that 
it  was  an  early  opinion  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  here  referred  to.  The  prin- 
cipal opinions  whicli  have  been  enter- 
tained of  the  meaning  of  this  phrase, 
are  the  following.  (1.)  That  which 
regards  it  as  relcrring  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  tliird  personof  the  Trinity. 
This  was  the  opinion  of  Owen,  Dod- 
dridge, and  archbishop  Tillotson.  (2.) 
That  which  refers  it  to  the  divine  na- 
ture of  Christ.  Among  those  who 
have  maintained  this  opinion,  are 
Bcza,  Ernesti,  Wolf,  Vitringa,  Storr, 
and  the  late  Dr.  J.  P.  Wilson.  MSS. 
Notes.  (3.)  Others,  as  Grotius,  Ro- 
senmuller,  Koppe,  understand  it  as 
meaning  endless  or  immortal  life,  in 
contradistinction  from  the  Jewish  sa- 
crifices which  were  of  a  perishable 
nature,  and  which  needed  so  often  to 
be  repeated.  (4.)  Otiiers  regard  it  as 
referring  to  the  glorified  person  of  the 
Saviour,  meaning  tliat  in  his  exalted, 
or  spiritual  station  in  heaven,  he  pre- 
sents the  efficacy  of  his  blood.  (5.) 
Others  suppose  that  it  means  divine 
influence,  and  tliat  tlie  idea  is,  tliat 
Christ  was  actuated  and  filled  with  a 
divine  influence  when  he  offered  up 
himself  as  a  sacrifice ;  an  influence 
wjiich  was  not  of  a  temporal  and 
fleeting  nature,  but  which  was  eter- 
nal in  its  efficacy.  This  is  tlie  inter- 
pretation preferred  by  Prof.  Stuart, 
For  an  examination  of  these  various 
opinions,  see  his  '  Excursus,  xviii.'  on 
tliis  epistle.  It  is  difficult,  if  not  im- 
possible, to  decide  what  is  the  true 
meaning  of  tiie  passage  amidst  this 
diversity  of  opinion ;  but  tiiere  are 
some  reasons  which  seem  to  me  to 
make  it  prolxible  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  intended,  and  that  the  idea  is,  that 
Christ  made  his  great  sacrifice  under 
the  extraordinary  influences  of  tliat 


A..  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


201 


the  eternal  Spirit  offered  him- 
self without  '  spot  to  God  : 
purge  "   your  conscience  from 

Eternal  Spirit.     Tlie  reasons  which 
lead  me  to  this  opinion,  are  the  fol- 
lowing-.    (1.)  It  is  that  which  would 
occur  to  the  great  mass  of  the  readers 
of  the  New  Testament.     It  is  pre- 
sumed that  the  great  body  of  sober, 
plain,  and  intelligent  readers  of  the 
Bible,  on  perusing  the  passage,  sup- 
pose that  it  refers  to  the  Holy  Ghost, 
the  third  person  of  the  Trinity.  There 
are  few  better  and  safer  rules  for  the 
interpretation  of  a  volume  designed 
like  the  Bible  for  the  mass  of  man- 
kind, than  to  abide  by  the  sense  in 
which  they  understand  it.     (2.)  This 
interpretation  is  one  which  is  most 
naturally  conveyed  by  the  language  of 
the  original.    The  phrase  the  spirit — 
To-Kvivita — has  so  far  a  technical  and 
established    meaning    in    tlie    New 
Testament   as    to   denote    the    Holy 
Ghost,  unless  there  is  something  in 
the  connexion  which  renders  such  an 
application  improper.     In  this   case 
there  is  nothing  certainly  which  ne- 
cesaarily  forbids  such  an  application. 
The  high  names  and  classical  authori- 
ty of  those  who  have  held  this  opinion, 
are    a    sufficient   guarantee   of  this. 
(3.)  This  interpretation  accords  with 
the  fact  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  repre- 
sented as  liaving  been  eminently  en- 
dowed with  tlie  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.     Comp.  Notes  on  John  iii.  34. 
Though  he  was   divine,  yet  he  was 
also  a  man,  and  as  such  was  under 
influences  similar  to  those  of  other 
pious  men.     The  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
source  and  sustainer  of  all  piety  in 
the  soul,  and  it  is  not  improper  to  sup- 
pose that  the  man  Christ  Jesus  was 
in  a  remarkable  manner  influenced 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  his  readiness  to 
obey  God  and  to  suffer  according  to 
his  will.     (4.)  If  there  was  ever  any 
occasion  on  whicli  we  may  suppose 
he  was  influenced  by  the  Holy  Giiost, 
that  of  his  sufferings  and  death  here 
referred  to  may  be  supposed  eminent- 
ly  to  have  been  such  an  one.     It  was 


dead  works  to  serve  "  the  living 
God? 

]  or,  fault.      a  c.  ]0.  22.       b  1  Pe.  4.  2. 


expressive  of  the  highest  state  of  piety 
— of  the  purest  love  to  God  and  man 
— which  has  ever  existed  in  the  hu- 
man bosom  ;  it  was  the  most  trying 
time  of  his  own  life ;  it  was  the  pe- 
riod when  there  would  be  the  most 
strong  temptation  to  abandon  his 
work  ;  and  as  the  redemption  of  the 
whole  world  was  dependent  on  tliat 
act,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
the  richest  heavenly  grace  would  be 
there  imparted  to  him,  and  that  he 
would  then  be  eminently  under  the 
influence  of  that  Spirit  which  was 
granted  not  '■by  measure  unto  him.' 
Notes  John  iii.  34.  (5.)  This  repre- 
sentation  is  not  inconsistent  with  the 
belief  that  the  sufferings  and  death 
of  the  Redeemer  were  voluntary,  and 
had  all  the  merit  which  belongs  to  a 
voluntary  transaction.  Piety  in  the 
heart  of  a  Christian  now  is  not  less 
voluntary  because  it  is  produced  and 
cherished  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  nor  is 
there  less  excellence  in  it  because  the 
Holy  Ghost  imparts  strong  faith  in 
the  time  of  temptation  and  trial.  It 
seems  to  me,  therefore,  that  the  mean- 
ing  of  this  expression  is,  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  led  by  the  strong  in- 
fluences of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  de- 
vote himself  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  It 
was  not  by  any  temporary  influence  ; 
not  by  mere  excitement ;  it  was  by 
the  influence  of  the  Eternal  Spirit  of 
God,  and  the  sacrifice  thus  ofi^ered 
could,  therefore,  accomplish  effects 
which  would  be  eternal  in  their  char- 
acter. It  was  not  like  the  offering 
made  by  the  Jewish  high  priest  which 
was  necessarily  renewed  every  year, 
but  it  was  under  the  influence  of  one 
who  was  eternal,  and  the  effects  of 
whose  influence  might  be  everlasting. 
It  may  be  added,  tliat  if  this  is  a  cor- 
rect exposition,  it  follows  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  eternal,  and  must,  there- 
fore, be  divine.  If  Offered  himself. 
That  is,  as  a  sacrifice.  H«  did  not 
offer  a  bullock  or  a  goat,  but  he  offer- 


203 


HKBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


cd    himsflf.     The   sacrifice    of  one's  ' 
self  is  tliu  liijrlicst  orttring  which  lie 
can  make ;  in  this  case  it  was  the  high- 
est whicli  the  universe  liad  to  make. 
11    WilhoiU  spot.     Marg.     '  Or  fault.' 
Tlie  animal  that  was  offered  in  the 
Jewish  sacrifices  was  to  be  without 
b.emish.     See  Lev.  i.  10 ;  xxii.  19 — 
22.     It  was  not  to  be  lame,  or  blind, 
or  diseased    The  word  wliich  is  here 
used   and  rendered  '  without  spot' — 
0^(1)^0$ — refers  to  this  fa(  t — that  there 
was  no  defect  or  bleniish.     The  idea 
is,  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  great  sac- 
rifice,  was  perfect.     See   ch.  vii.  26. 
IT  Purge  your   conscience.     That   is, 
cleanse,  purify,  or  sanctify  your  con- 
science.    Tlie  idea  is,  that  this  offer- 
ing would  take  away  whatever  ren- 
dered the  conscience  defiled  or  sinful. 
The  otferings  of  the  Jews  related  in 
the  main  to  external  purification,  and 
were  not  adapted  to  give  peace  to  a 
troubled  conscience.  They  could  ren- 
der the  worshipper  externally  pure  so 
that  he  might  draw  near  to  God  and 
not  be  excluded   by  any  ceremonial 
pollution  or  defilement;  but  the  mind, 
the  heart,  the  conscience,  they  could 
not  make  pure.     They  could  not  re- 
move that  which  troubles  a  man  wlien 
he  recollects  that  he  has  violated  a 
holy  law  and  has  offended  God,  and 
when  he  looks  forward  to  an  awful 
judgment-bar.     The  word  conscience 
here  is  not  to  be  understood  as  a  dis- 
tinct and  independent  faculty  of  the 
soul,  but  as  the  soul  or  7nind  itself  re- 
flecting and  pronouncing  on  its  own 
acts.     The  whole  expression  refers  to 
a  mind   alarmed   by  the  recollection 
of  guilt — for  it  is  guilt  only  that  dis- 
turbs a  man's  conscience.     Guilt  ori- 
ginates in  the  soul  remorse  and  de- 
spair ;  guilt   makes    a   man  troubled 
when    he    thinks   of  death    and    the 
judgment;    it    is    guilt    onli/    which 
alarms  a  man  when  lie  tliinks  of  a 
holy  God  ;  and  it  is  nothing  but  guilt 
that  makes  the  entrance  into  another 
world  terrible  and  awful.     If  a  man 
had  no  guilt  he  would  never  dread  his 
Maker,  nor  would  the  presence  of  his 
God  be  ever  painful   to  him  (comp. 
Gen.   iii.   6 — 10);    if  a   man   had  no 


guilt  he  would   not  fear  to  die — for 
what  have  the  innocent  to  fear  any. 
where  ?     The  universe  is  under  the 
government  of  a  God  of  goodness  and 
truth,  and,  under  such  a  government, 
how   can    those   who    liave    done    no 
wrong  have  anything  to  dread  ?   The 
fear    of  death,   tiie    apprehension  of 
the  judgment  to  come,  and  the  dread 
of  God,  are  strong  and  irrefragable 
proofs    that   everj'  man   is   a  sinner. 
The  only  thing,  therefore,  which  ever 
disturbs   tlie   conscience,  and   makes 
death  dreadful,  and  God  an  object  of 
aversion,  and  eternity  awful,  is  guilt. 
If  that  is  removed,  man  is  calm  and 
peaceful ;  if  not,  lie  is  the  victim  of 
wretchedness  and   despair.     If  From 
dead  works.     From  works   that   are 
deadly  in  their  nature,  or  that  lead  to 
death.     Or  it  may  mean  from  works 
that  have  no  spirituality  and  no  life. 
By  ^works'"  here  the  apostle  does  not 
refer  to  their  outward  religious  acts 
particularly,  but  to  the  conduct  of  the 
life,  to  what  men  do  ;  and  the  idea  is, 
that  their  acts  are  not  spiritual  and 
saving  but  such  as  lead  to  death.  See 
Note  ch.  vi.  i.     IT  To  serve  the  living 
God.     Not  in  outward  form,  but  in 
sincerity  and  in  truth ;  to  be  his  true 
friends  and  worshippers.   The  phrase 
'  the  living  God'  is  commonly  used  in 
the  Scriptures   to    describe    the  true 
God  as  distinguished  from  idols  which 
are  represented  as  dead,  or  without  life. 
Ps.  cxv.  4 — 7.    The  idea  in  this  verse 
is,  that  it  is  only  the  sacrifice  made 
by  Christ  which  can  remove  the  stain 
of  guilt  from  the  soul.     It  could  not 
be  done  by  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of 
goats — for  that  did  not  furnish  relief 
to  a  guilty  conscience,  but  it  could  be 
done    by  the   blood   of  Christ.     The 
sacrifice  which  he  made  for  sin  was 
so  pure  and  of  such  value,  that  God 
can  consistently  jiardon  the  offender 
and  restore  him  to  his  favour.     That 
blood  too  can  give  peace — for  Christ 
poured  it  out  in  behalf  of  the  guilty. 
It  is  not  that  he  took  part  with  the 
sinner  against  God  ;  it  is  not  that  he 
endeavours  to  convince  him  who  has 
a  troubled  conscience  that  he  is  need- 
lessly alarmed,  or  that  sin  is  not  as 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


203 


15  And  for  this  cause  he  is 
the  Mediator  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, that  by  means  of  death, 
for  the  redemption  of  the  trans- 
gressions  that  were   under  the 

bad  as  it  is  represented  to  be,  or  that 
it  does  not  expose  the  soul  to  danger. 
Christ  never  took  the  part  of  the  sin- 
ner against  God ;  he  never  taught 
that  sin  was  a  small  matter,  or  that 
it  did  not  expose  to  danger.  He  ad- 
mitted all  that  is  said  of  its  evil.  But 
he  provides  for  giving  peace  to  tiie 
guilty  conscience  by  shedding  his 
blood  tliat  it  may  be  forgiven,  and  by 
revealing  a  God  of  mercy  vi'ho  is  will- 
ing to  receive  the  oft'ender  into  favour, 
and  to  treat  him  as  though  he  had 
never  sinned.  Thus  the  troubled  con- 
science may  find  peace ;  and  thus, 
though  guilty,  man  may  be  delivered 
from  the  dread  of  the  wrath  to  come. 
15.  And  for  this  cause.  With  this 
view ;  that  is,  to  make  an  effectual 
atonement  for  sin,  and  to  provide  a 
way  by  which  the  troubled  conscience 
may  have  peace.  IT  He  is  the  Media- 
tor. See  Notes  on  Gal.  iii.  19,  20. 
He  is  the  Mediator  between  God  and 
man  in  respect  to  that  new  covenant 
which  he  lias  n).ade,  or  that  new  dis- 
pensation by  which  men  are  to  be 
saved.  He  stands  between  God  and 
man  —  the  parties  at  variance  —  and 
undertakes  the  work  of  mediation  and 
reconciliation.  ^  Of  the  New  Testa- 
merit.  Not  testament — for  a  testament, 
or  will,  needs  no  mediator  ;  but  of  the 
71CW  covenant,  or  the  new  arrange- 
ment or  disposition  of  things  under 
which  he  proposes  to  pardon  and  save 
the  guilty.  See  Notes  on  vs.  16,  17. 
IT  That  by  means  of  death.  His  own 
death  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  The  old 
covenant  or  arrangement  also  con- 
templated death — but  it  v.-as  the  death 
of  an  animal.  The  purposes  of  this 
were  to  be  effected  by  tlie  death  of 
the  Mediator  himself;  or  this  cove- 
nant was  to  be  ratified  in  his  blood. 
IT  For  the  rtdenrption  of  the  transgres- 
sions that  were  under  the  Jirst  testa- 
ment.    The  covenant  or  arrangement 


first  testament,  they  which  are 
called  might  receive   the  pro- 
mise of  eternal  inheritance  : 
16  For  where    a    testament 


under  Moses.  The  general  idea  here 
is,  that  these  were  offences  for  which 
no  expiation  could  be  made  by  the 
sacrifices  under  that  dispensation,  or 
from  which  the  blood  then  slicd  could 
not  redeem.  This  general  idea  may 
include  two  particulars.  (1.)  That 
they  who  had  committed  transgres- 
sions under  that  covenant,  and  who 
could  not  be  fully  pardoned  by  the 
imperfect  sacrifices  then  made,  would 
receive  a  full  forgiveness  of  all  their 
sins  in  the  great  day  of  account 
through  the  blood  of  Christ.  Though 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  could  not 
expiate,  yet  they  offered  that  blood  in 
faith  ;  they  relied  on  the  promised 
mercy  of  God  ;  they  looked  forward 
to  a  perfect  sacrifice — and  now  the 
blood  of  the  great  atonement  offered 
as  a  full  expiation  for  all  tlieir  sins, 
would  be  the  ground  of  their  acquittal 
in  tlic  last  day.  (2.)  That  the  blood 
of  Christ  would  now  avail  for  the  re- 
mission of  all  those  sins  which  could 
not  be  expiated  by  the  sacrifices  ofl 
fered  under  the  law.  It  not  only 
contemplated  the  remission  of  all  the 
offences  committed  by  the  truly  pious 
under  that  law,  but  would  now  avail 
to  put  away  sin  entirely.  No  sacri- 
fice wliich  men  could  offer  would 
avail,  but  the  blood  of  Christ  would 
remove  all  that  guilt.  IT  That  they 
which  are  called.  Alike  under  the 
old  covenant  and  tlie  new.  IT  Might 
receive  the  promise  of  eternal  inherit- 
ance. TJiat  is,  tlie  fulfilment  of  the 
promise  ;  or  that  they  might  be  made 
partakers  of  eternal  blessings.  That 
blood  is  effectual  alike  to  save  those 
under  the  ancient  covenant  and  the 
new — so  tJiat  they  will  be  saved  in 
the  same  manner,  and  unite  in  the 
same  song  of  redeeming  love. 

1 6.  For  lohen  a  testament  is.  This 
is  the  same  word — SiaS/jKri — which  in 
eh.  viii.  6  is  rendered  covenant.     For 


204 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  CI. 


is,  there   must    also  ot"   neces- 

1  or,  be  brougkl  in. 

the  general  signification  of  the  word, 
see  Note  on  tliat  verse.  Tiiere  is  so 
much  depentliug,  liowovcr,  on  the 
meaning  of  the  word,  not  only  in  tlie 
interpretation  of  tliis  passage,  but  also 
of  otiier  parts  of  the  Ijible,  that  it  may 
be  proper  to  explain  it  here  more  at 
length.  Tlie  word — iia^i'inn — occurs 
in  the  New  Testament  thirty-tiirec 
times.  It  is  translated  covenant  in 
the  common  version,  in  Luke  i.  72 ; 
Acts  iii.  25  ;  vii.  8  ;  Rom.  ix.  4  ;  xi. 
27;  Gal.  iii.  15.  17  ;  iv.  24;  Eph.  ii. 
12 ;  Heb.  viii.  G.  8,  8,  twice,  10  ;  ix.  4, 
twice;  x.  16;  xii.  24;  xiii.  20.  In 
the  remaining  places  it  is  rendered 
testament.  Matt.  xxvi.  28  ;  Mark  xii. 
24  ;  Luke  xxii.  20  ;  I.  Cor.  xi.  25  ;  IL 
Cor.  iii.  6.  14  ;  Heb.  vii.  22  ;  xv.  15 — 
17.  20  ;  Rev.  xi.  19.  In  four  of  those 
insUnces  (Matt.  xxvi.  28 ;  Mark  xiv. 
24  ;  Luke  xxii.  20,  and  I.  Cor.  xi.  25), 
it  is  used  with  reference  to  the  insti- 
tution or  celebration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  In  the  Septuagint  it  occurs 
not  far  from  three  hundred  times,  in 
considerably  more  than  two  hundred  of 
which,  it  is  the  translation  of  tlic  He- 
brew word  jT13 — Berith.     In  one  in. 

Btance  (Zech.  xi.  14)  it  is  the  trans- 
lation of  tlie  word  brotherhood  ;  once 
(Deut.  ix.  5),  of  "13T  —  word;   once 

T   T 

(Jer.  xxiv.  18),  of  words  of  the  cove- 
nant;' once  (Lev.  xxvi.  11),  of  ta- 
hernacle ;  once  (Exod.  xxxi.  7),  of 
testimony ;  it  occurs  once  (Ezek.  xxvi. 
28),  where  the  reading  of  the  Greek 
and  Hebrew  text  is  doubtful ;  and  it 
occurs  three  times  (I.  Sam.  xi.  2  ;  xx. 
8 ;  I.  Kings  viii.  9),  where  there  is  no 
corresponding  word  in  the  Hebrew 
text.  From  this  use  of  the  word  by 
the  authors  of  the  Septuagint,  it  is 
evident  that  they  regarded  it  as  the 
proper  translation  of  the  Hebrew — 
ri'13 — Berith,  and  as  conveying  tlie 

same  sense  which  that  word  docs.  It 
cajinot  be  reasonably  doubted  that 
the  writers  of  the  New  Testament 
were  led  to  the  use  of  the  word,  in 


sity  '  be  the  death  of  the  tes- 
tator. 


part,  at  least,  by  the  fact  that  they 
fomid  It  occurring  so  frequently  in 
the  version  in  common  use,  but  it 
cannot  be  doubted  also  that  they  re- 
garded it  as  fairly  conveying  the  sense 
of  the  word  n'^J  —  Berith.     On  no 

principle  can  it  be  supposed  that  in- 
spired  and  honest  men  would  use  a 
word  in  referring  to  transactions  in 
the    Old    Testament  which    did    not 
fairly   convey    the    idea   which   the 
writers  of  the  Old  Testament  meant 
to  express.     The  use  being  thus  re- 
garded  as  settled,  there  are  some  facts 
in  reference  to  it  which  are  of  great 
importance  in  interpreting  the  New 
'I'estament,  and  in  understanding  the 
nature  of  the  '  covenant'  which  God 
makes  with  man.     These    facts   are 
the  following.     (1.)  The  word  c5taj-/;«rij 
— diatheke — is  not  that  which  proper- 
ly denotes  compact,  agreement,  or  co- 
venant.    That  word  is  <rur^^<c^ — syn- 
theke — or  in  other  forms  crvviccis  and 
aorSeciai ;  or  if  the  word  diathtke  is 
used  in  that  signification   it  is  only 
remotely,  and  as  a  secondary  mean- 
ing.   See  Passoio  ;  comp.  the  Scptua- 
gint  in  Isa.  xxviii.  15 ;  xxv.  1 ;  Dan. 
xi.  6,  and  Wisdom  i.  16;  I.  Mac   x. 
26  ;  II.  Mac.  xiii.  25  ;  xiv.  -^6.     It  is 
not  the  word  which  a  Greek  would 
have  employed  to  denote  a  compact  or 
covenant.     He  would  have  employed 
it  to  denote  a  disposition,  ordering,  or 
arrangement   of  things,   whether   of 
religious  rites,  civil  customs,  or  pro- 
perty ;  or  if  used  with  reference  to  a 
compact,  it  would  have  been  witli  tlie 
idea  of  an  arrangement  or  ordering 
of  matters,  not  with  the  primary  no- 
tion of  an   agreement  with  another. 
(2.)  Tlie  word  properly  expressive  of 
a  covenant  or  compact — avv&ijKri — is 
never  used    in   tlic  New  Testament. 
In  all  the  allusions  to  the  transactions 
between   Gad   and    man,   this    word 
never  occurs.     From  some  cause,  the 
writers  and  speakers  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament seem  to  have  supposed  that 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


205 


the  word  would  leave  an  impression 
which  they  did  not  wish  to  leave. 
Though  it  miglit  have  been  supposed 
that  in  speaking  of  the  various  trans- 
actions between  God  and  man  they 
would  have  selected  this  word,  yet 
with  entire  uniiormity  they  have 
avoided  it.  No  one  of  them — though 
the  word  iiaSni"] — diatheke — has  been 
used  by  no  less  than  six  of  them — has 
been  betrayed  in  a  single  instance 
into  the  use  of  the  word  aw^iiKTi — Syn- 
thike,  or  has  differed  from  the  other 
writers  in  the  language  employed. 
This  cannot  be  supposed  to  be  the 
result  of  concert  or  collusion,  but  it 
must  have  been  founded  on  some  rea- 
son which  operated  equally  on  all 
their  minds.  (3.)  In  like  manner, 
and  with  like  remarkable  uniformity, 
the  word  aw^ifiKri — syntheke — is  never 
used  in  the  Septuagint  with  reference 
to  any  arrangement  or  '  covenant'  be- 
tween God  and  man.  Once  indeed  in 
the  Apocrypha,  and  but  once,  it  is 
used  in  that  sense.  In  the  tlnee  only 
other  instances  in  wliich  it  occurs  in 
the  Septuagint,  it  is  with  reference  to 
compacts  between  man  and  man.  Isa. 
xxviii.  15 ;  xxx.  I  ;  Dan.  xi.  6.  This 
remarkable  fact  that  the  authors  of 
that  version  never  use  the  word  to  de- 
note any  transaction  between  God 
and  man,  shows  that  there  must  have 
been  some  reason  for  it  which  acted 
on  their  minds  with  entire  uniformity. 
(4.)  It  is  no  less  remarkable  that  nei- 
ther in  the  Septuagint  nor  the  New 
Testament  is  the  word  iiaSi'/Kr; — dia- 
theke— ever  used  in  the  sense  of  will 
or  testament,  unless  it  be  in  the  case 
before  us.  Tliis  is  conceded  on  all 
hands,  and  is  expressly  admitted  by 
Prof.  Stuart  (Com.  on  Heb.  p.  439), 
though  he  defends  this  use  of  the 
word  in  this  passage. — A  very  im- 
portant inquiry  presents  itself  here 
which  has  never  received  a  solution 
generally  regarded  as  satisfactory. 
It  is,  why  the  word  Sia^^^n — diathtke 
— was  selected  by  the  writers  of  the 
New  Testament  to  express  the  nature 
of  the  transaction  between  God  and 
man  in  the  plan  of  salvation.  It 
might  be  said  indeed  that  they  fo\ind 
18 


this  word  uniformly  used  in  the  Sep. 
tuagint,  and  that  tJiey  employed  it  as 
expressing  the  idea  which  they  wished 
to  convey,  with  sutRcient  accuracy. 
Eut  this  is  only  removing  the  ditii- 
culty  one  step  farther  back.  Wliy 
did  the  Lxx.  adopt  this  word  ?  Why 
did  they  not  rather  use  tlie  common 
and  appropriate  Greek  word  to  ex- 
press the  notion  of  a  covenant  ?  A 
suggestion  on  this  subject  has  already 
been  made  in  the  Notes  on  ch.  viii.  6. 
Comp.  Bib.  Repository,  vol.  xx.  p.  55. 
Another  reason  may,  however,  be 
suggested  for  this  remarkable  fact 
which  is  liable  to  no  objection.  It  is, 
that  in  the  apprehension  of  the  au- 
thors of  the  Septuagint,  and  of  the 
writers  of  the  New  Testament,  the 
word  StaSiiKri — diatheke — in  its  origi- 
nal and  proper  signification  fairly 
conveyed  the  sense  of  the  Hebrew 
word  ^''^3 — Berith,  and  that  the  word 

avvSnKi] — syntheke — or  compact,  agree, 
ment,  would  not  express  that ;  and 
that  they  never  meant  to  be  understood 
as  conveying  the  idea  either  that  God 
entered  into  a  compact  or  covenant 
with  man,  or  that  he  made  a  will. 
They  meant  to  represent  him  as  mak- 
ing an  arrangement,  a  disposition,  an 
ordering  of  things,  by  which  his  ser- 
vice might  be  kept  up  among  his 
people,  and  by  which  men  might  be 
saved  ;  but  they  were  equally  remote 
from  representing  him  as  making  a 
compact,  or  a  will.  In  support  of  this 
there  may  be  alleged  (1)  the  remark, 
able  uniformity  in  which  tlie  word 
iia^fiKii  —  diatheke  —  is  used,  showing 
that  there  was  some  settled  principle 
from  which  they  never  departed  ;  and 
(2)  used  mainly  the  meaning  of  the 
word  itself.  Prof.  Stuart  has,  un- 
doubtedly, given  tile  accurate  original 
senseof  tlie  word.  "The  real,  genuine, 
and  original  meaning  of  iia^iiK^i  [dia. 
theke]  is,  arrangement,  disposition,  or 
disposal  of  a  thing."  p.  440.  The 
word  from  which  it  is  derived — iiari- 
^Tifjii — means  to  place  apart  or  asun- 
der ;  and  then  to  set,  arrange,  dispose 
in  a  certain  order.  Fassow.  From 
this  original  signifination  is  derived 


soc 


HKBREWft. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


tlie  use  wliich  the  word  has  with  sin- 
gular unilbrmity  in  the  Scriptures. 
It  denotes  the  arrangement,  disposi- 
tion, or  orderinir  of  tliiujjs  which  God 
made  in  rrhition  to  mankind,  by 
which  lie  dcsijrned  to  kcei)  up  liis 
worship  on  earlli,  and  to  save  the  soul. 
It  means  neither  covenant  nor  will ; 
neither  compact  nor  letracy  ;  neither 
agreement  nor  testament.  It  is  an 
Krrangeinent  of  an  entirely  different 
order  from  either  of  them,  and  the 
sacred  writers  with  an  uniformity 
which  could  have  been  secured  only 
by  the  presidinjj  influence  of  the  One 
Eternal  S])irit,  have  avoided  the  sug- 
gestion that  God  made  with  man 
either  a  compact  or  a  will.  We  have 
no  word  which  precisely  expresses 
this  idea,  and  hence  our  conceptions 
are  constantly  floating  between  a 
compact  and  a  will,  and  the  views 
which  we  have  are  as  unsettled  as 
they  are  unscriptural.  The  simple 
idea  is,  that  God  has  made  an  ar- 
rangement by  which  his  worship  may 
be  celebrated  and  souls  saved.  Under 
the  Jewish  economy  this  arrangement 
assumed  one  form  ;  under  the  Chris- 
tian another.  In  neitlicr  was  it  a 
compact  or  covenant  between  two 
parties  in  such  a  sense  that  one  party 
would  be  at  liberty  to  reject  the  terms 
proposed  ;  in  neither  was  it  a  testa- 
ment or  will,  as  if  God  had  left  a  le- 
gacy to  man,  but  in  both  there  were 
some  things  in  regard  to  the  arrange- 
ment such  as  are  tbund  in  a  covenant 
or  compact.  One  of  those  things — 
equally  appropriate  to  a  compact  be- 
tween man  and  man  and  to  this  ar- 
rangement, the  apostle  refers  to  here 
— that  it  implied  in  all  cases  the  death 
of  the  victim.  If  tliese  remarks  are 
well-founded,  they  should  be  allowed 
materially  to  shape  our  views  in  the 
interpretation  of  tlie  Bible.  Whole 
treatises  of  divinity  have  been  written 
on  a  mistaken  vicv^'  of  the  meaning 
of  this  word — understood  as  meaning 
covenant.  Volumes  of  angry  contro- 
versy have  been  published  on  the  na- 
ture of  the  "  covenant"  with  Adam, 
and  on  its  influence  on  his  posterity. 
TJie   only  literal   "  covenant"  which 


can  be  supposed  in  the  plan  of  re- 
demption is  that  between  the  Father 
•and  the  Son — though  even  the  exist- 
ence of  such  a  covenant  is  rather  the 
result  of  devout  and  learned  imagin- 
ing  than  of  any  distinct  statement  in 
the  volume  of  inspiration.  The  sim- 
ple statement  there  is,  that  God  has 
made  an  arrangement  for  salvation, 
the  execution  of  which  he  has  entrust- 
ed to  his  Son,  and  has  proposed  it  to 
man  to  be  accepted  as  the  only  arrange- 
ment by  which  man  can  be  saved,  and 
which  he  is  not  at  liberty  to  disregard. 
— There  lias  been  much  difference  of 
opinion  in  reference  to  the  meaning 
of  the  passage  here,  and  to  the  design 
of  the  illustration  introduced.  If  the 
word  used  —  itaS-z'/Kn  —  means  testa- 
ment, in  the  sense  of  a  icill,  then  the 
sense  of  that  passage  is  that  'a  will 
is  offeree  only  when  he  who  made  it 
dies,  for  it  relates  to  a  disposition  of 
his  property  after  his  death.'  The 
force  of  the  remark  of  the  apostle 
then  would  be,  that  the  fact  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  made  or-  expressed  his 
will  to  mankind,  implied  that  he 
would  die  to  confirm  it ;  or  that  since 
in  the  ordinary  mode  of  making  a 
will,  it  was  of  force  only  when  he 
who  made  it  was  dead,  therefore  it 
was  necessary  that  the  Redeemer 
should  die.,  in  order  to  confirm  and 
ratify  that  which  he  made.  But  the 
objections  to  this,  whicb  appears  to 
have  been  the  view  of  our  translators, 
seem  to  me  to  be  insuperable.  They 
are  these.  (1.)  The  word  StaS^Kri — 
diatheke — is  not  used  in  this  sense  in 
the  New  Testament  elsewhere.  See 
the  remarks  above.  (2.)  The  Lord 
Jesus  made  no  such  will.  He  had  no 
property,  and  the  commandments  and 
instructions  whieli  he  gave  to  his  dis- 
ciples were  not  of  the  nature  of  a  will 
or  testament.  (3.)  Such  an  illustration 
would  not  be  pertinent  to  the  design 
of  the  apostle,  or  in  keeping  with  his 
argument.  He  is  comparing  the 
Jewish  and  Christian  disjjensations, 
and  the  point  of  comparison  in  this 
chapter  relates  to  the  question  about 
the  etfieacy  of  sacrifice  in  the  two  ar- 
rangements.    He  showed  that  the  ar- 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


207 


rang-ement  for  blood-shedding-  by  sa- 
crifice entered  into  botli ;  that  the 
high  priest  of  botli  oftered  blood  as  an 
expiation ;  that  the  holy  place  was 
entered  with  blood,  and  that  conse- 
quently there  was  death  in  both  the 
arrangements,  or  dispensations.  The 
former  arrangement  or  dispensation 
was  ratified  with  blood,  and  it  was 
equally  proper  that  the  new  arrange- 
ment should  be  also.  The  point  of 
comparison  is  not  that  Moses  made  a 
will  or  testament  which  could  be  of 
force  only  when  he  died,  and  that  the 
same  thing  was  required  in  the  new 
dispensation,  but  it  is  that  the  former 
covenant  was  ratified  by  blood,  or  by 
the  death  of  a  victim,  and  that  it 
might  be  expected  that  the  new  dis- 
pensation would  be  confirmed,  iind 
that  it  was  in  fact  confirmed  in  the 
same  manner.  In  this  view  of  the 
argument,  what  pertinency  would 
there  be  in  introducing  an  illustration 
respecting  a  will,  and  the  manner  in 
which  it  became  efficient.  Com  p. 
Notes  on  ver.  18.  It  seems  clear, 
therefore,  to  me,  that  the  word  ren- 
dered testament  here  is  to  be  taken  in 
the  sense  in  which  it  is  ordinarily 
used  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
opinion  that  the  word  here  means 
such  a  divine  arrangement  as  is  com- 
monly denoted  a  "  covenant,"  and  not 
testament,  is  sanctioned  by  not  a  few 
names  of  eminence  in  criticism,  such 
as  Pierce,  Doddridge,  Michaelis, 
Steudel,  and  the  late  Dr.  J.  P.  Wil- 
son. Bloomfield  says  that  the  con- 
nexion here  demands  this.  The  prin- 
cipal objections  to  this  view  are,  (1.) 
that  it  is  not  proved  that  no  covenants 
or  compacts  were  valid  except  such 
as  were  made  by  the  intervention  of 
sacrifices.  (2.)  That  the  word  ren- 
dered testator — iiaSifxtvoi — cannot  re- 
fer to  the  death  of  an  animal  slain 
for  the  purpose  of  ratifying  a  cove- 
nant, but  must  mean  either  a  testator, 
or  a  contractor,  i.  e.,  one  of  two  con- 
tracting parties.  (3.)  That  the  word 
rendered  dead  (ver.  17)  —  vticpois  — 
means  only  dead  vien,  and  never  is 
applied  to  the  dead  bodies  of  animals. 
See  Stuart  on  the  Hcb.  p.  443.  These 


objections  to  tlie  supposition  that  the 
passage  refers  to  a  covenant  or  com- 
pact. Prof.  Stuart  says  are  in  his  view 
insuperable,  and  they  are  certainly 
entitled  to  grave  consideration.  Whe- 
ther the  view  above  presented  is  one 
which  can  be  sustained,  we  may  be 
better  able  to  determine  after  an  ex- 
amination of  the  words  and  phrases 
which  the  apostle  uses.  Those  ob- 
jections which  depend  wholly  on  the 
philological  argument  derived  from 
the  words  used,  will  be  considered  of 
course  in  such  an  examination.  It  is 
to  be  remembered  at  the  outset,  (1) 
that  the  word  6(aS-rjKri  —  diatheke — is 
never  used  in  the  New  Testament  in 
the  sense  of  testament,  or  will,  unless 
in  this  place  ;  (2)  that  it  is  never  used 
in  this  sense  in  the  Septuagint;  and 
(3)  that  the  Hebrew  word  nnS— Be- 
rith — never  has  this  signification.  This 
is  admitted.  See  Stuart  on  the  Heb. 
pp.  439,  440.  It  must  require  very 
strong  reasons  to  prove  that  it  has 
this  meaning  here,  and  that  Paul  has 
employed  the  word  in  a  sense  differ- 
ing from  its  uniform  signification 
elsewhere  in  the  Bible.  Comp.,  how- 
ever, the  remarks  of  Prof  Stuart  in 
Bib.  Repos.  vol.  xx.  p.  364.  ^  There 
must  also  of  necessity  be.  —  avdyKr].—^ 
That  is,  it  is  necessary  in  order  to 
confirm  the  covenant,  or  it  would  not 
be  binding  in  cases  where  this  did  not 
occur.  The  necessity  in  the  case  is 
simply  to  make  it  valid  or  obligatory. 
So  we  say  now  there  must  '  necessa- 
rily' be  a  seal,  or  a  deed  would  not  be 
valid.  The  fair  interpretation  of  this 
is,  that  this  was  the  common  and  es- 
tablished custom  in  making  a  '  cove- 
nant' with  God,  or  confirming  the 
arrangement  with  him  in  regard  to 
salvation.  To  this  it  is  objected  (see 
the  first  objection  above),  that  "  it  is 
yet  to  be  made  out  that  no  covenants 
were  valid  except  those  by  the  inter- 
vention of  sacrifices."  In  reply  to 
this,  we  may  observe,  (1.)  that  the 
point  to  be  made  out  is  not  that  this 
was  a  custom  in  compacts  between 
7nan  and  man,  but  between  man  and 
his  Maker.     There  is  no  evidence,  as 


2oa 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4. 


it  Beems  to  me,  that  the  apostle  alludes 
to  a  compact  between  man  and  man. 
I'he  mistake  on  this  subject  has 
arisen  partly  from  the  use  ol'tlie  word 
•  teslamenV  by  our  translators,  in  the 
sense  "of  uJiH — supposing  tiiat  it  tnust 
refer  to  some  transaction  relating  to 
man  only;  and  partly  from  tlie  in- 
sertion of  tiie  word  '■men'  in  vcr.  17, 
in  the  translation  of  the  phrase — hi 
vcKpols — '  upon  the  dead,'  or  '  over  the 
dead.'  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  sup- 
pose that  there  is  a  reference  here  to 
any  transaction  between  man  and 
man  at  all,  as  the  whole  force  of  the 
illustration  introduced  by  the  apostle 
will  be  retained  if  we  suppose  him 
speaking  only  of  a  covenant  between 
man  and  God.  Then  his  assertion 
will  be  simply  that  in  the  arrange- 
ment between  God  and  man  there 
was  a  necessilt/  of  the  death  of  some- 
thing, or  of  the  shedding  of  blood  in 
order  to  ratify  it.  This  view  will  save 
the  necessity  of  proof  that  the  custom 
of  ratifying  compacts  between  man 
and  man  by  sacriiice  prevailed.  Whe- 
ther that  can  be  made  out  or  not,  the 
assertion  of  the  apostle  may  be  true, 
that  in  the  arrangement  which  God 
makes  with  man,  sacrifice  was  neces- 
sary in  order  to  confirm  or  ratify  it. 
(2.)  The  point  to  be  made  out  is,  not 
that  such  a  custom  is  or  was  univer- 
sal among  all  nations,  but  that  it  was 
the  known  and  regular  opinion  among 
the  Hebrews  that  a  sacrifice  was  ne- 
cessary in  a  '  covenant'  with  God,  in 
the  same  way  as  if  we  should  say  that 
a  deed  was  not  valid  without  a  seal, 
it  would  not  be  necessary  to  show 
this  in  regard  to  all  nations,  but  only 
that  it  is  the  law  or  the  custom  in  the 
nation  where  the  writer  lived,  and  at 
the  time  when  he  lived.  Otlier  na- 
tions may  have  very  diiforent  modes 
of  confirming  or  ratifying  a  deed,  and 
the  same  nation  may  have  different 
methods  at  various  times.  The  fact 
or  custom  to  wliicli  I  suppose  there  is 
allusion  here,  is  tiiat  of  sacrificing  an 
animal  to  ratify  tlie  arrangement  be- 
tween man  and  his  Maker,  commonly 
called  a  'covenant.'  In  regard  to  the 
existence  of  such  a  custom,  particu- 


larly among  the  Hebrews,  we  may 
make  tiie  following  observations.  It 
was  tiie  connTion  mode  cf  ratifying 
the  'covenant'  between  Gcd  and  man. 
That  was  done  over  a  sacrifice,  or  by 
the  shedding  of  blood.  So  the  cove- 
nant with  Abraham  was  ratified  by 
slaying  an  heifer,  a  she-goat,  a  ram, 
a  turtle-dove,  and  a  young  pigeon. 
The  animals  were  divided  and  a 
burning  lamp  passed  between  them. 
Gen.  XV.  9.  18.  So  tlie  covenant  made 
with  the  Hebrews  in  the  wilderness 
was  ratified  in  the  same  manner.  E.x. 
xxiv.  G.  scq.  Thus  in  Jer.  xxxiv.  18, 
God  speaks  of  the  '  men  that  had 
transgressed  his  covenant  v/hich  they 
had  made  before  him  when  they  cut 
tlie  calf  in  twain,  and  passed  hettceen 
the  parts  thereof.^  See  also  Zech.  ix. 
11.  Indeed  all  the  Jewish  sacrifices 
were  regarded  as  a  ratification  of  the 
covenant.  It  was  never  supposed  that 
it  was  ratified  or  confirmed  in  a  pro- 
per manner  without  such  a  sacrifice. 
Instances  occur,  indeed,  in  which 
there  was  no  sacrifice  offered  wlien  a 
covenant  was  made  between  man  and 
man  (see  Gen.  xxiii.  16;  xxiv.  9; 
Deut.  XXV.  7.  9 ;  Ruth  iv.  7),  but 
these  cases  do  not  establish  the  point 
tliat  the  custom  did  not  prevail  of  ra- 
tifying  a  covenant  with  God  by  the 
blood  of  sacrifice.  Further  ;  the  terms 
used  in  tiie  Hebrew  in  regard  to  mak- 
ing a  covenant  with  God,  prove  that 
it  was  understood  to  be  ratified  by 
sacrifice,  or  that  the  death  of  a  victim 
was  necessary.( — fl'IB  m3  —  karalh 

Berith)     'to   cut   a    covenant' — the 

word  n"13  karath  meaning  to  cut;  to 

cut  off;  to  cut  down,  and  the  allusion 
being  to  the  victims  offered  in  sacra- 
fice,  and  cut  in  pieces  on  occasion  of 
entering  into  a  covenant.  See  Gen 
xv.  10;  Jer.  xxxiv.  18,  19.  The  same 
idea  is  expressed  in  the  Greek  phrases 
opKta  Tifiritv,  Tqivciv  CTTovSdi,  and  in  the 
Ij&i'in  icere  fadus.  Comp,  Virgil  ,Ea. 
viii.  641. 

El  ciesd  jungebnnt  foedera  porca. 
Tiicse  considerations  sliow  that  it  waa 
the  common  sentiment,  alike  among 
the  Hebrews    and  the  heathen,  that 


A.  D.  04.] 


CHAPTER  Itv. 


209 


a  covenant  with  God  was  to  be  rati- 
fied or  sanctioned  by  sacrifice ;  and 
the  statement  of  Paul  here  is,  that 
the  death  of  a  sacrificial  victim  was 
neediul  to  confirm  or  ratify  such  a 
covenant  with  God.  It  was  not  se- 
cure, or  confirmed,  until  blood  was 
tlius  shed.  This  was  well  understood 
among  the  Hebrews,  that  all  their 
covenant  transactions  with  God  were 
to  be  ratified  by  a  sacrifice  ;  and  Paul 
says  that  the  same  principle  must 
apply  to  any  arrangement  between 
God  and  men.  Hence  he  goes  on  to 
show  that  it  was  necessary  that  a  sa- 
crificial victim  should  die  in  the  new 
covenant  which  God  established  by 
man  through  the  Mediator.  See  vcr. 
23.  This  I  understand  to  be  the 
sum  of  the  argument  here.  It  is  not 
that  every  contract  made  between 
man  and  man  was  to  be  ratified  or 
confirmed  by  a  sacrifice — for  the  apos- 
tle is  not  discussing  that  point ;  but 
it  is  that  every  similar  transaction 
■with  God  must  be  based  on  such  a 
sacrifice,  and  that  no  covenant  with 
him  Could  be  complete  without  such 
a  sacrifice.  This  was  provided  for 
in  the  ancient  dispensation  by  the  sa- 
crifices which  were  constantly  ofier- 
ed  in  their  worship ;  in  the  new,  by 
the  one  great  sacrifice  offered  on  the 
cross.  Hence  all  our  approaches  to 
God  are  based  on  the  supposition  of 
such  a  sacrifice,  and  are,  as  it  were, 
ratified  over  it.  We  ratify  or  confirm 
such  a  covenant  arrangement,  not  by 
offering  the  sacrifice  anew,  but  by  re- 
calling it  in  a  proper  manner  when 
we  celebrate  the  death  of  Christ,  and 
when  in  view  of  his  cross  we  solenmly 
pledge  ourselves  to  be  the  Lord's. 
IT  T/ie  death  of  the  testator.  Accord- 
ing to  our  common  version,  the  death 
of  him  who  makes  a  will.  But  if  the 
views  above  expressed  are  correct, 
this  should  be  rendered  the  covenanter, 
or  '  the  victim  set  apart  to  be  slain.' 
The  Greek  will  admit  of  the  transla- 
tion of  the  word  iia^ijuavos,  diathcme- 
nos,  by  the  word  covenanter,  if  the 
word  lta&>jKti  —  diatheke  —  is  rendered 
covenant.  To  such  a  translation  here 
as  would  make  the  word  refer  to  a  vic- 
18* 


tim  slain  in  order  to  ratify  a  covenant, 
it  is  objected  that  'the  word  has  no 
such  meaning  anywhere  else.  It  must 
either  mean  a  testator,  or  a  contractor, 
i.  e.  one  of  two  covenanting  parties. 
But  where  is  the  death  of  a  person 
covenanting  made  necessary  in  order 
to  confirm  the  covenant  ?'  Prof.  Stu- 
art,  in  loc.  To  this  objection  I  re- 
mark respectfully,  (1.)  that  the  word 
is  never  used  in  the  sense  of  testator 
either  in  the  New  Testament  or  the 
Old,  unless  it  be  here.  It  is  admitted 
of  the  word  iiaS-r'/Kt]  —  diatheke — by 
Prof.  Stuart  himself,  that  it  never 
means  will,  or  testament,  unless  it  be 
here,  and  it  is  equally  true  of  the  word 
used  here  that  it  never  means  one 
loho  makes  a  will.  If,  therefore,  it 
sliould  be  that  a  meaning  quite  un- 
common, or  wholly  unknown  in  the 
usage  of  the  Scriptures,  is  to  be  as- 
signed to  the  use  of  the  word  here, 
why  should  it  be  assumed  that  that 
unusual  meaning  should  be  that  of 
making  a  will,  and  not  that  of  con- 
finning  a  covenant  ?  (2.)  If  the  apos- 
tie  used  the  word  StaSr'iKr, — diatheke — 
in  the  sense  of  a  covenant  in  this  pas- 
sage, nothing  is  more  natural  tlian 
that  he  sliould  use  the  corresponding 
word  iiaSiiitvog — diathemenos — in  the 
sense  of  that  by  which  a  covenant 
was  ratified.  He  wished  to  express 
the  idea  that  the  covenant  was  al. 
ways  ratified  by  the  death  of  a  victim 
— a  sacrifice  of  an  animal  under  the 
law,  and  the  sacrifice  of  the  Redeemer 
under  the  gospel — and  no  word  would 
so  naturally  convey  that  idea  as  the 
one  from  wliich  the  word  covenant  was 
derived.  It  is  to  be  remembered  also 
that  tliere  was  no  word  to  express 
that  thought.  Neither  the  Hebrew  nor 
the  Greek  furnished  such  a  word  ;  nor 
have  we  now  any  word  to  express 
that  tliought,  but  are  obliged  to  use 
circumlocution  to  convey  the  idea. 
The  word  covenanter  would  not  do  it ; 
nor  the  words  victim,  or  sacrifice. 
We  can  express  the  idea  only  by  some 
phrase  like  this — '  the  victim  set  apart 
to  be  slain  to  ratify  the  covenant.' 
But  it  Was  not  an  unusual  thing  for 
the  apostle  Paul  to  make  use  of  a 


210 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  CI. 


17  For  a  testament  is  of  force 
after  men  arc  dead;  otlierwise 

word  in  a  sense  quite  peculiar  to  him- 
self. Coinp.  II.  Cor.  iv.  17.  (3.)  The 
word  ciaTihiin — diatilhimi — properly 
means,  to  place  apart,  to  set  in  order, 
to  arrange.  It  is  rendered  appoint  in 
Luke  xxii.  29  ;  made,  and  make,  with 
referenee  to  <a  covenant,  Acts  iii.  25  ; 
Heb.  viii.  10;  x.  16.  It  occurs  no- 
where else  in  the  New  Testament, 
except  in  the  passage  before  us.  Tlie 
idea  of  placing,  laying,  disposing,  ar- 
ranging, &LC.,  enters  into  tlie  word — 
as  to  place  wares  or  merchandize  for 
sale,  to  arrange  a  contract,  &:.c.  Sec 
Passow.  Tlie  fair  meaning  of  the 
word  here,  may  be,  whatever  goes  to 
arrange,  dispose,  or  settle  the  cove- 
nant, or  to  make  the  covenant  secure 
and  firm.  If  the  reference  be  to  a 
compact,  it  cannot  relate  to  one  of 
the  contracting  parties,  because  the 
death  of  neither  is  necessary  to  con- 
firm it.  But  it  may  refer  to  tliat 
which  was  well-known  as  an  esta- 
blished opinion,  that  a  covenant  with 
God  was  ratified  only  by  a  sacrifice. 
Still,  it  must  be  admitted  that  this 
use  of  the  word  is  not  elsewhere  found, 
and  the  only  material  question  is, 
whether  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the 
apostle  would  employ  a  word  in  a 
single  instance  in  a  peculiar  signifi- 
cation, where  the  connexion  would 
not  render  it  difficult  to  be  understood. 
Tliis  7/iwst  be  admitted,  that  lie  migiit, 
whichever  view  is  taken  of  the  mean- 
ing of  this  passage,  for  on  the  suppo- 
sition that  he  refers  here  to  a  will,  it 
is  conceded  that  he  uses  the  word  in 
a  sense  wliicli  does  not  onee  occur 
elsewhere  either  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment or  the  New.  It  seems  to  me, 
tlicrefore,  that  tlic  word  here  may, 
without  impropriety,  be  regarded  as 
referring  to  Ihe  iiiclim  that  was  slain 
in  order  to  ratifija  covenant  leilli  God, 
and  that  the  meaning  is,  that  such  a 
covenant  was  not  regarded  as  con- 
firmed until  the  victim  was  slain.  It 
may  be  added  that  tlie  authority  of 
Michaelis,  JMacknight,  Doddridge, 
Dloomfield,  and  Dr.  J.  P.  \V  ilson,  is  a 


it  is  of  no  strength  at  all  while 
the  testator  liveth. 


proof  that  sucli  an  interpretation  can- 
not be  a  very  serious  departure  from 
the  proper  use  of  a  Greek  word. 

17.  For  a  testament.  Sucli  an  ar- 
rangemcnt  as  God  enters  into  with 
man.  See  the  remarks  on  ver.  16. 
If  Is  of  force.  Is  ratified,  or  confirmed 
— in  the  same  way  as  a  deed  or  com- 
pact is  confirmed  by  affi.xing  a  seal. 
IT  After  men  are  dead.  tVi  vtKpoTj. 
'  Over  the  dead.'  That  is,  in  accord- 
ance witli  the  view  given  above,  after 
tlie  animal  is  dead ;  or  over  the  body 
of  the  animal  slain  for  sacrifice,  and 
to  confirm  the  covenant.  "  For  a  co- 
venant is  completed  or  confirmed 
over  dead  sacrifices,  seeing  it  is  never 
offeree  as  long  as  the  victim  set  apart 
for  its  ratification  is  still  living."  IMS. 
Notes  of  Dr.  J.  P.  Wilson.  To  this 
interpretation  it  is  objected,  that 
"vcKpois  —  nekrois  —  means  only  dead 
men  ;  but  men  surely  were  not  sacri- 
ficed by  the  Jews,  as  a  mediating  sa- 
crifice in  order  to  confirm  a  cove- 
nant." Prof.  Stuart  in  loc.  In  regard 
to  this  objection,  and  to  the  proper 
meaning  of  the  passage,  we  may  re- 
mark, (1.)  that  the  word  '7rtfn'  is  not 
in  the  Greek,  nor  is  it  necessarily  im- 
plied, unless  it  be  in  the  use  of  the 
Greek  word  rendered  dead.  The 
proper  translation  is,  '  upon,  or  over 
the  dead.'  The  use  of  the  word  '  men' 
here  by  our  translators  would  seem 
to  limit  it  to  the  making  of  a  will. 
(2.)  It  is  to  be  presumed,  unless  there 
is  positive  proof  tothe  contrary,  that 
the  Greeks  and  Hebrews  used  the 
word  dead  as  it  is  used  by  other  peo- 
ple, and  that  it  might  refer  to  deceased 
animals,  or  vegetables,  as  well  as  to 
men.  A  sacrifice  that  had  been  offered 
was  dead  ;  a  tree  that  had  fallen  was 
dead;  an  aniinil  that  had  been  torn 
by  other  wild  animals  was  dead.  It 
is  possible  that  a  people  might  have 
one  word  to  refer  to  dead  tnen,  and 
another  to  dead  animals,  and  another 
to  dead  vegetables ;  but  what  is  the 
evidence  that  the  Hebrews  or  the 
Greeks  had  su<fii  words  ?     (3.)  What 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


211 


18   Whereupon    neither   the 


•  or,  purified. 


is  the  meaning  of  tliis  very  word — 
veKpds  —  nekros  —  in  ch.  vi.  1;  ix.  14 
of  tliis  very  epistle  when  it  is  applied 
to  works — '  dead  works' — if  it  never 
refer  to  anything  but  7tien  ?  Comp. 
James  ii.  17.  20.  26;  Eph.  ii.  1.5; 
Rev.  iii.  1.  In  Eccl.  ix.  4,  it  is  applied 
to  a  dead  lion.  I  suppose,  tJierefore, 
that  the  Greek  phrase  here  will  admit 
of  the  interpretation  which  the  '  exi- 
gency of  the  place'  seems  to  demand, 
and  that  the  idea  is,  that  a  covenant 
with  God  was  ratified  over  the  ani- 
mals slain  in  sacrifice,  and  was  not 
considered  as  confirmed  until  the  sa- 
crifice was  killed.  IT  Otherwise.  Since 
— lire}.  That  is,  unless  this  takes  place 
it  will  be  of  no  force.  IT  It  is  of  no 
strength.  It  is  not  strong — hx^si — it 
is  not  confirmed  or  ratified.  IT  While 
the  testator  liveth.  Or  while  the  ani- 
mal selected  to  confirm  the  covenant 
is  alive.  It  can  be  confirmed  only 
by  its  being  slain.  A  full  examination 
of  the  meaning  of  this  passage  (Heb. 
\x.  16,  17)  may  be  found  in  an  article 
in  the  Biblical  Repository,  vol.  xx.  pp. 
51 — 71,  and  in  Prof.  Stuart's  reply  to 
that  article.  Bib.  Repos.  xx.  pp.  356 
—381. 

18.  Whereupon.  "Q^^v —  Wlience. 
Or  since  this  is  a  settled  principle,  or 
an  indisputable  fact,  it  occurred  in 
accordance  with  this,  that  the  first 
covenant  was  confirmed  by  the  shed- 
ding of  blood.  The  admitted  princi- 
ple which  the  apostle  had  stated,  that 
the  death  of  the  victim  was  necessary 
to  confirm  the  covenant,  was  the  rea- 
son  why  the  first  covenant  was  rati- 
fied with  blood.  If  there  were  any 
doubt  about  the  correctness  of  the  in- 
terpretation given  above,  that  vs.  16, 
17,  refer  to  a  covenant,  and  not  a  will, 
this  verse  would  seem  to  be  enough 
to  remove  it.  For  how  could  the  fact 
that  a  will  is  not  binding  until  he  who 
makes  it  is  dead,  be  a  reason  why  a 
covenant  should  be  confirmed  by 
blood?  What  bearing  >vould  such 
a  fact  have  on  the  quest. on  whether 
it  ousfht  or  ouoflit  not  to  Ire  confirmed 


first    testament   was  '  dedicated 
without  blood. 


in  this  manner  ?  Or  how  could  that 
fact,  though  it  is  universal,  be  given 
as  a  reason  to  account  for  the  fact 
that  the  covenant  made  by  the  instru- 
mentality of  Moses  was  ratified  with 
blood  ?  No  possible  connexion  can 
be  seen  in  such  reasoning.  But  ad- 
mit tiiat  Paul  had  stated  in  vs.  16, 17, 
a  general  principle  that  in  all  cove- 
nant transactions  with  God,  the  death 
of  a  victim  was  necessary,  and  every- 
thing is  plain.  We  then  see  why  he 
ofiered  the  sacrifice  and  sprinkled  the 
blood.  It  was  not  on  the  basis  of  such 
reasoning  as  this :  '  the  death  of  a 
man  who  makes  a  will  is  indispensa- 
ble before  the  will  is  of  binding  force, 
THEREFORE  it  was  that  Moses  confirm- 
ed the  covenant  made  with  our  fa- 
thers by  the  blood  of  a  sacrifice  ;'  but 
by  such  reasoning  as  this :  '  It  is  a 
great  principle  that  in  order  to  ratify 
a  covenant  between  God  and  his  peo- 
ple a  victim  should  be  slain,  therefore 
it  was  that  Moses  ratified  the  old  co- 
venant in  this  manner,  and  therefore 
it  was  also  that  the  death  of  a  victim 
was  necessary  under  the  new  dispen- 
sation.' Here  the  reasoning  of  Paul 
is  clear  and  explicit ;  but  who  could 
see  the  force  of  the  former  ?  Prof. 
Stuart  indeed  connects  this  verse  with 
ver.  ]  5,  and  says  that  the  course  of 
thought  is,  '  The  new  covenant  of  re- 
demption from  sin  was  sanctioned  by 
the  death  of  Jesus ;  consequently,  or 
wherefore  (S^ev)  the  old  covenant, 
which  is  a  type  of  the  new,  was  sanc- 
tioned by  the  blood  of  victims.'  But 
is  this  the  reasoning  of  Paul?  Does 
he  say  that  because  the  blood  of  a  Me- 
diator was  to  be  shed  under  the  new 
dispensation,  and  because  the  old  was 
a  type  of  this,  that  therefore  the  old 
was  confirmed  by  blood  ?  Is  he  not 
rather  accounting  for  the  shedding 
of  blood  at  all,  and  showing  that  it 
was  necessary  that  the  blood  of  the 
Mediator  should  be  shed,  rather  than 
assuming  that,  and  from  that  arguing 
that  a  typical  shedding  of  blood  was 
needful  ?   Besides,  on  this  supposition 


212 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4. 


19  For  "  when    Moses    had 
spoken  every  precept  to  all  the 

a  Ex.  24.  6,  ice. ;  Le.  c.  14  &  l(i. 

wliy  is  tlic  statement  in  vs.  IG,  17, 
introduced  ?  What  bearing  liave  these 
verses  in  the  train  of  thougfht?  What 
are  they  but  an  inexplicable  obstruc- 
tion ?  If  The  first  testament.  Or  ra- 
ther covenant — the  word  testament 
being  supplied  by  tlic  translators. 
^  Was  dedicated.  Marg.  Purified. 
The  word  used  to  ratify,  to  confirm, 
to  consecrate,  to  sanction.  Literally, 
to  renew.  ^  Without  blood.  It  was 
ratified  by  the  blood  of  the  animals 
that  were  slain  in  sacrifice.  The 
blood  w'as  then  sprinkled  on  the  prin- 
cipal objects  that  were  regarded  as 
holy  under  that  dispensation. 

19.  For  when  Moses  had  spoken 
every  precept  to  all  the  people.  When 
lie  had  recited  all  the  law,  and  had 
given  all  the  commandments  entrust- 
ed him  to  deliver.  Ex.  xxiv.  3.  IT  He 
took  the  blood  of  calves  and  of  goats. 
This  passage  has  given  great  perplex- 
ity to  commentators  from  the  fact 
tJiat  Moses  in  his  account  of  the  trans- 
actions connected  with  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  covenant  with  the  people, 
(Ex.  xxiv.),  mentions  only  a  part  of 
the  circumstances  liere  referred  to. 
He  says  nothing  of  the  blood  of  calves 
and  of  goats  ;  nothing  of  water,  and 
scarlet-wool,  and  hyssop  ;  nothing  of 
sprinkling  tlie  book,  the  tabernacle, 
or  the  vessels  of  the  ministry.  It 
has  been  made  a  question,  therefore, 
whence  Paul  obtained  a  knowledge 
of  these  circumstances  ?  Since  the 
account  is  not  contained  in  the  Old 
Testament,  it  nmst  have  been  cither 
by  tradition,  or  by  direct  inspiration. 
The  latter  supposition  is  hardly  pro- 
bable, for  (1)  the  information  here 
can  hardly  be  regarded  as  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  have  required  an 
original  revelation ;  for  the  illustration 
would  liavc  had  sufficient  force  to 
sustain  his  conclusion  if  the  literal 
account  in  Exodus  only  had  been 
given,  tiiat  Moses  sprinkled  the  peo- 
ple; but  (2)  such  an  original  act 
of  inspiration   here    would   not  have 


people  according  to  the  law,  he 
took  the  hlood  of  calves  and  of 


) 


been  consistent  with  the  object  of  the 
apostle.  In  that  argument  it  was  es- 
.sontial  tJiat  he  should  state  only  the 
facts  about  the  ancient  dispensation 
which  were  admitted  by  the  Hebrews 
themselves.  iVny  statement  of  his 
own  about  things  which  they  did  not 
concede  to  be  true,  or  which  was  not 
well  understood  as  a  custom,  might 
have  been  called  in  question,  and 
would  have  done  much  to  invalidate 
the  entire  force  of  the  argument.  It 
is  to  be  presumed,  therefore,  that  the 
facts  here  referred  to  had  been  pre- 
served by  tradition ;  and  in  regard  to 
this,  and  the  authority  due  to  such  a 
tradition,  we  may  remark,  (1)  that  it 
is  well  known  that  the  Jews  had  a 
great  number  of  traditions  which  they 
carefully  preserved ;  (2)  that  there  is 
no  improbability  in  the  supi)osition 
that  many  events  in  their  history 
would  be  preserved  in  this  manner, 
since  in  the  small  compass  of  a  vo- 
lume like  the  Old  Testament  it  can- 
not be  presumed  that  all  the  events 
of  tlieir  nation  had  been  recorded ; 
(3)  though  they  had  many  traditions 
of  a  trifling  nature,  and  many  which 
were  false  (comp.  Notes  on  ."\Iatt.  xv. 
2),  yet  they  doubtless  had  many  that 
were  true ;  (4)  in  referring  to  those 
traditions,  there  is  no  impropriety  in 
supposing  that  Paul  may  have  been 
guided  by  tlie  Spirit  of  inspiration  in 
selecting  only  those  which  were  true  ; 
and  (o)  notliing  is  more  probable  than 
what  is  here  stated.  If  Moses  sprin- 
kled 'the  people  ;'  if  he  read  'the  book 
of  the  law'  then  (Ex.  xxiv.  7),  and  if 
tlii;:  was  regarded  as  a  solemn  act  of 
ratifying  a  covenant  with  God,  no- 
thing would  be  more  natural  than 
that  he  should  sprinkle  the  book  of 
the  covenant,  and  even  the  taberna 
cle  and  its  various  sacred  utensils. 
We  are  to  remember  also,  that  it  was 
common  among  the  Hebrews  to  sprin- 
kle blood  for  the  purpose  of  conse- 
crating, or  as  an  emblem  of  purifyinp' 
Thus  Aaron  and  his  sons  and  thch 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


213 


goats,  with  water,  and  '  scarlet 
wool,  and  hyssop,  and  sprinkled 

1  or,  purple. 

garments  were  sprinkled  with  blood 
when  tliey  were  con3ecratcd  to  the 
office  of  priests,  Ex.  xxix.  19  —  21 ; 
the  blood  of  sacrifices  was  sprinkled 
on  the  altar,  Lev.  i.  5.  11 ;  iii.  2.  13  ; 
and  blood  was  sprinkled  before  the 
veil  of  the  sanctuary,  Lev.  iv.  16, 17  ; 
comp.  Lev.  vi.  27 ;  vii.  14.  So  Jose- 
phus  speaks  of  the  garments  of  Aaron 
and  of  his  sons  being  sprinkled  with 
"  the  blood  of  the  slain  beasts,  and 
with  spring  water."  "  Having  con- 
secrated them  and  their  garments," 
he  says,  "  for  seven  days  togetlier,  lie 
did  tlie  same  to  the  tabernacle,  and 
the  vessels  thereto  belonging,  both 
with  oil  and  with  the  blood  of  bulls 
and  of  rams."  Ant.  B.  iii.  ch.  viii. 
§  6.  These  circumstances  show  the 
strong  probability  of  the  truth  of  what 
is  here  affirmed  by  Paul,  while  it  is 
impossible  to  prove  that  Moses  did 
not  sprinkle  the  book  and  the  taber- 
nacle in  the  manner  stated.  The 
mere  omission  by  Moses  cannot  de- 
monstrate that  it  was  not  done.  On 
the  phrase  'the  blood  of  calves  and 
of  goats,'  see  Note  onver.  12.  ^  With 
water.  Agreeably  to  the  declaration 
of  Joseplius  that  '  spring  water  was 
used.'  In  Lev.  xiv.  49 — 51,  it  is  ex- 
pressly mentioned  that  the  blood  of 
the  bird  that  was  killed  to  cleanse  a 
house  from  the  plague  of  leprosy 
should  be  shed  over  running  water, 
and  that  the  blood  and  the  water  should 
be  sprinkled  on  the  walls.  It  has 
been  suggested  also  (see  Bloomfield), 
that  the  use  of  water  was  necessary 
in  order  to  prevent  tlie  blood  from 
coagulating,  or  so  as  to  make  it  pos- 
sible to  sprinkle  it.  IT  And  scarlet 
wool.  Marg.  Purple.  The  word  here 
used  denotes  crimson,  or  deep-scarlet. 
The  colour  was  obtained  from  a  small 
insect  which  was  found  adhering  to 
the  shoots  of  a  species  of  oak  in  Spain 
and  in  Western  Asia,  of  about  tlie 
size  of  a  pea.  It  was  regarded  as  the 
most  valuable  of  the  colours  for  dye- 
ing, and  wa&  very  expensive.    Why 


both  the  book,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple. 


the  wool  used  by  Moses  was  of  this 
colour  is  not  known,  unless  it  be  be- 
cause it  was  the  most  expensive  of 
colours,  and  thus  accorded  with  every- 
thing employed  in  the  construction 
of  tlie  tabernacle  and  its  utensils. 
Wool  appears  to  have  been  used  in 
order  to  absorb  and  retain  the  blood. 
H  And  hyssop.  That  is,  a  bunch  of 
hyssop  intermingled  with  the  wool,  or 
so  connected  with  it  as  to  constitute  a 
convenient  instrument  for  sprinkling. 
Comp.  Lev.  xiv.  51.  Hyssop  is  a  low 
shrub,  regarded  as  one  of  the  smallest 
of  the  plants,  and  hence  put  in  con- 
trast with  the  cedar  of  Lebanon.  It 
sprung  out  of  the  rocks  or  walls,  I. 
Kings  iv.  33,  and  was  used  for  pur- 
poses of  purification.  The  term  seems 
to  have  comprised  not  only  the  com- 
mon hyssop,  but  also  lavender  and 
other  aromatic  plants.  Its  fragrance, 
as  well  as  its  size,  may  have  suggest- 
ed the  idea  of  using  it  in  the  sacred 
services  of  the  tabernacle.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  hyssop  is  represented 
by  the  cut  on  the  following  page. 
^  And  sprinkled  both  the  book.  This 
circumstance  is  not  mentioned  by 
Moses,  but  it  has  been  shown  above 
not  to  be  improbable.  Some  exposi- 
tors, however,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
difficulty  in  the  passage,  have  taken 
this  in  connexion  with  the  word  Aa/Jwv 
—  rendered  'Ae  took^ — meaning,  'tak- 
ing the  blood,  and  the  book  itself;' 
but  the  more  natural  and  proper  con- 
struction is,  that  the  book  was  sprin- 
kled with  the  blood.  ^  Aiid  all  the 
people.  Moses  says,  '  and  sprinkled 
it  on  the  people.'  Ex.  xxiv.  8.  We 
are  not  to  suppose  that  either  Moses 
or  Paul  designs  to  say  that  the  blood 
was  actually  sprinkled  on  each  one 
of  the  three  millions  of  people  in  the 
wilderness,  but  the  meaning  doubtless 
is  that  the  blood  was  sprinkled  over 
the  people,  though  in  fact  it  might 
have  fallen  on  a  i'ew.  So  a  man  now 
standing  on  an  elevated  place,  and 
surrounded  by  a  large  assembly,  if 


214 


IIKBUEWS. 


[A.  D.  b4. 


20  Saying,  Thisis  the  blood  ' 

a  Mat.  26.  28. 


of   the    testament   which   God 
hath  enjoined  unto  you. 


he  should  sprinkle  water  over  tliem 
from  the  place  where  he  stood,  might 
bo  said  to  sprinkle  it  on  the  people, 
though  in  fact  but  {c\v  miglit  have 
been  touched  by  it.  The  act  would 
be  equally  significant  whether  the 
emblem  fell  on  few  or  niapy. 

20.  Saying,  This  is  the  blood  of  the 
testament.  Of  the  covenant.  See 
Notes  on  vs.  16,  17.  That  is,  this  is 
the  blood  by  which  tlie  covenant  is 
ratified.  It  was  the  moans  used  to 
confirm  it ;  tlie  sacred  and  solemn 
form  .by  which   it   was   made  sure. 


When  tliis  was  done,  the  covenant 
between  God  and  the  people  was  con- 
firmed — as  a  covenant  between  man 
and  man  is  when  it  is  sealed.  ' 
Which  God  hath  enjoined  tinto  you. 
In  Ex.  x.xiv.  8,  "which  God  hath 
made  with  you."  Tlic  language  used 
by  Paul,  '  whicli  God  hath  enjoined' 
— hiTziXaro — cummunded — shows  that 
he  did  not  regard  tliis  as  strictly  of 
tlie  nature  of  a  covenant,  or  compact. 
Wlien  a  compact  is  made  between 
parties,  one  does  not  enjoin  or  com" 
mand  the  other,  but  it  is  a  mutual 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


215 


21  Moreover  "  he  sprinkled 
likewise  with  blood  both  the 
tabernacle,  and  all  the  vessels 
of  the  ministry. 

a  Ex.  29.  12,  36. 

agreement.  In  the  transactions  be- 
tween God  and  man,  though  called 
ri'ia — Berilh,  or  cia^/Jxi;,  diatheke,  the 
idea  of  a  covenant  or  compact  is  so  far 
excluded  that  God  never  loses  his 
right  to  command  or  evjoin.  It  is  not 
a  transaction  between  equals,  or  an 
agreement ;  it  is  a  solemn  arrangement 
on  the  part  of  God  which  he  proposes 
to  men,  and  which  he  enjoins  them 
to  embrace ;  wliich  they  are  not  in- 
deed at  liberty  to  disregard,  but  which 
when  embraced  is  appropriately  rati- 
fied by  some  solemn  act  on  their  part. 
Comp.  Notes  on  ch.  viii.  6. 

21.  He  sprinkled  —  both  the  taber- 
nacle. This  circumstance  is  not  stated 
by  Moses.  On  the  probability  that 
this  was  done,  see  Notes  on  ver,  19. 
The  account  of  setting  up  the  taber- 
nacle occurs  in  Ex.  xl.  In  that  ac- 
count it  is  said  that  Moses  anointed 
the  tabernacle  with  the  holy  anoint- 
ing oil.  Vs.  9 — 11.  Joscphus  (Ant. 
B.  III.  ch.  viii.  §  6),  says  that  he  con- 
secrated it  and  the  vessels  thereto  be- 
longing with  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of 
rams.  This  was  undoubtedly  the  tra- 
dition in  the  time  of  Paul,  and  no  one 
can  prove  that  it  is  not  correct.  IT 
And  all  the  vessels  of  the  ministrrj. 
Employed  in  the  service  of  God.  The 
altar,  the  laver,  (Ex.  xl.  10,  11),  the 
censers,  dishes,  bowls,  &c.,  which 
were  used  in  the  tabernacle. 

22.  And  almost  all  things.  It  is  a 
general  custom  to  purify  everytliing 
by  blood.  Tliis  rule  was  not  univer- 
sal, for  some  things  were  purified  by 
fire  and  water,  (Num.  xxxi.  22,  23), 
and  some  by  water  only.  Num.  xxxi. 
24  ;  Lev.  xvi.  26.  28.  But  the  excep- 
tions to  the  general  rule  were  few. 
Almost  everything  in  the  tabernacle 
and  temple  service,  was  consecrated 
or  purified  by  blood.  IT  And  without 
shedding  of  blood  is  no  remission.  Rc- 


22  And  almost  all  things  are 
by  the  law  purged  with  blood ; 
and  without  shedding  of  blood  * 
is  no  remission. 

b  Le.  17.  n. 


mission  or  forgiveness  of  sins.  That 
is,  though  some  things  were  purified 
by  fire  and  water,  yet  when  the  mat- 
ter  pertained  to  the  forgiveness  of 
sins,  it  was  universally  true  that  no 
sins  were  pardoned  except  by  the 
shedding  of  blood.  Some  impurities 
might  be  removed  by  water  and  fire, 
but  the  stain  of  sin  could  be  removed 
only  by  blood.  This  declaration  re- 
ferred in  its  primary  meaning,  to  the 
Jewish  rites,  and  the  sense  is,  that 
under  that  dispensation  it  was  uni- 
versally true  that  in  order  to  the  for- 
giveness of  sin  blood  must  be  shed. 
But  it  contains  a  truth  of  higher  order 
and  importance  still.  It  is  universally 
true  that  sin  never  has  been,  and  ne. 
ver  will  be  forgiven,  except  in  connex- 
ion with,  and  in  virtue  of  the  shedding 
of  blood.  It  is  on  this  principle  that 
the  plan  of  salvation  by  the  atone- 
ment is  based,  and  on  this  that  God 
in  fact  bestows  pardon  on  men.  There 
is  not  the  slightest  evidence  that  any 
man  has  ever  been  pardoned  except 
through  the  blood  shed  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins.  The  infidel  who  rejects 
the  atonement  has  no  evidence  that 
his  sins  are  pardoned ;  the  man  who 
lives  in  the  neglect  of  the  gospel, 
though  he  has  abundant  evidence 
that  he  is  a  sinner,  furnishes  none 
that  his  sins  are  forgiven ;  and  the 
Mussulman  and  the  heathen  can  point 
to  no  proof  that  their  sins  are  blotted 
out.  It  remains  to  be  demonstrated 
that  one  single  member  of  the  Imman 
family  has  ever  had  the  slightest  evi- 
dence of  pardoned  sin,  except  through 
the  blood  of  expiation.  In  the  divine 
arrangement  there  is  no  principle 
better  established  than  this,  that  all 
sin  which  is  forgiven  is  remitted 
through  the  blood  of  the  atonement ; 
a  principle  which  has  never  been  de- 
parted from  hitherto,  and  which  never 
will  be.   It  follows,  therefore,  (1)  that 


!21G 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


23  It  was  therefore  neces- 
sary that  the  patterns  of  things 
in  the  heavens  shouhl  be  puri- 
fied with  these ;  but  the  hea- 
venly things  themselves  with 
better  sacrifices  than  these. 


no  sinner  can  hope  for  forgiveness 
except  through  the  blood  of  Christ ; 
(~)  that  if  men  arc  ever  saved  they 
must  be  willing  to  rely  on  the  merits 
of  that  blood  ;  (3)  that  all  men  are 
on  a  level  in  regard  to  salvation,  since 
all  are  to  be  saved  in  the  same  way; 
and  (4)  that  there  will  be  one  and  the 
same  song  in  heaven  —  the  song  of 
redeeming  love. 

23.  The  patterns  of  things  in  the  hea- 
vens. The  tabernacle  and  its  various 
utensils.  Sec  Notes  on  eh.  viii.  5.  ^  Be 
purijied  with  these.  With  water  and 
blood,  and  by  these  ceremonies.  IT  But 
the  heavenly  things  themselves.  The 
lieavenly  tabernacle  or  sanctuary  into 
wiiich  Christ  has  entered,  and  where 
lie  performs  the  functions  of  his  min- 
istry.  The  use  of  the  word  purijied 
here  applied  to  heaven,  does  not  im- 
ply that  heaven  was  before  unholy, 
but  it  denotes  that  it  is  now  made  ac- 
cessible to  sinners  ;  or  that  they  may 
come  and  worship  there  in  an  accept- 
able manner.  The  ancient  tabernacle 
was  purified  or  consecrated  by  the 
blood  of  the  victims  slain,  so  that  men 
might  approach  with  acceptance  and 
worship  ;  the  heavens  by  ])urcr  blood 
are  rendered  accessible  to  the  guilty 
The  necessity  for  '  better  sacrifices'  in 
regard  to  the  latter  was,  that  it  was 
designed  to  make  the  conscience  pure, 
and  because  the  service  in  heaven 
is  more  holy  than  any  rendered  on 
earth.  IT  With  better  sacrijices  than 
these.  To  wit,  the  sacrifice-  made 
by  the  offering  of  the  Lord  Jesus  on 
the  cross.  This  infinitely  surpassed 
in  value  all  that  had  been  offered 
nnder  the  Jewish  dispensation. 

24.  For  Christ  is  not  entered  into 
the  holy  places  made  with  hands.  Into 
the  temple  or  tabernacle.  The  Jewish 
high  priest  ulonc  entered  into  the  most 


24  For  Christ  is  not  entered 
into  the  holy  places  made  with 
hands,  which  are  the  figures  of 
the  true  ;  but  into  heaven  itself, 
now  to  appear  "  in  the  presence 
of  God  for  us: 

a  no.  e.  24. 

lioly  place  ;  and  the  other  priests  into 
the  holy  place.  Jesus,  being  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  and  not  of  Levi,  never 
entered  the  temple  proper.  He  had 
access  only  to  the  courts  of  the  temple, 
in  the  same  way  as  any  other  Jew  had. 
See  Notes  on  Matt.  xxi.  12.  He  has 
entered  into  the  true  temple — heaven 
— of  which  the  earthly  tabernacle  was 
the  t}^pe.  If  Which  are  the  Jigures  of 
the  true.  Literally,  the  antitypes  — 
avTiTVTra.  The  word  properly  means 
that  which  is  formed  alter  a  model 
pattern,  or  type ;  and  then  that  which 
corresponds  to  something  or  answers 
to  it.  The  idea  here  is,  that  the  type 
or  fashion — the  true  figure  or  form — 
was  shown  to  3Ioses  in  the  Mount, 
and  then  the  tabernacle  was  made 
after  that  model,  or  corresponded  to  it. 
The  true  original  figure  is  heaven 
itself;  the  tabernacle  was  an  antitype 
of  that — or  was  so  formed  as  in  some 
sense  to  correspond  to  it.  That  is,  it 
Corresponded  in  regard  to  the  matters 
under  consideration — the  most  holy 
place  denoted  heaven ;  the  mercy-scat 
and  the  shekinah  were  symbols  of 
the  presence  of  God,  and  of  the  fact 
that  he  shows  mercy  in  heaven ;  the 
entrance  of  the  high  priest  was  em- 
blematical of  the  entrance  of  the  Re- 
deemer into  heaven ;  the  sprinkling 
of  the  blood  there  was  a  type  of  what 
the  Redeemer  would  do  in  heaven. 
If  Now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God 
for  us.  As  the  Jewish  high  priest 
appeared  before  the  shekinah,  the 
symbol  of  the  divine  presence  in  the 
tabernacle,  so  Christ  appears  before 
(iod  himself  in  our  behalf  in  heaven. 
He  has  gone  to  plead  for  our  salva- 
tion ;  to  present  the  merits  of  his 
blood  as  a  permanent  reason  why  we 
should  be  saved.  Notes  Rom.  viii.  34; 
Heb.  vii.  25. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


317 


25  Nor  yet  that  he  should 
offer  himself  often,  as  the  high 
priest  entereth  into  the  holy 
place  every  year  with  blood  of 
others ; 

26  For  then  must  he  often 
have  suffered  since  the  founda- 

a  Ge.  3.  19. 


tion  of  the  world  ;  but  now  once 
in  the  end  of  the  world  hath  he 
appeared,  to  put  away  sin  by 
the  sacrifice  of  himself. 

27  And  as  it  is  appointed" 
unto  men  once  to  die,  but  after 
this  *  the  judgment  ; 

b  Ec.  12.  14. 


25.  Nor  yet  that  he  should  offer 
himself  often.  The  Jewish  high  priest 
entered  the  most  holy  place  with  blood 
once  every  year.  In  this  respect  the 
offering  made  by  Christ,  and  the 
work  which  he  performed,  differed 
from  that  of  the  Jewish  high  priest. 
It  was  not  needful  that  he  should  en- 
ter the  holy  place  but  once.  Having 
entered  there,  he  permanently  remains 
there.  H  With  the  blood  of  others. 
That  is,  with  the  blood  of  calves,  and 
goats.  This  is  a  second  point  in 
which  the  work  of  Christ  differs  from 
that  of  the  Jewish  high  priest.  Christ 
entered  there  with  his  own  blood. 
Notes  on  ver.  12. 

26.  For  then  must  he  often  have 
suffered.  That  is,  if  his  blood  had 
no  more  efficacy  than  that  which  the 
Jewish  high  priest  offered,  and  which 
was  so  often  repeated,  it  would  have 
been  necessary  that  Christ  shouU 
have  often  died.  IT  But  vow  ("ice.  \ 
Once  for  all ;  once  in  the  sense  that 
it  is  not  to  be  repeated  again — uTraf. 
IT  In  the  end  of  the  world.  In  the  last 
dispensation  or  economy  ;  that  under 
which  the  affairs  of  the  world  will  be 
wound  up.  See  the  phrase  fully  ex- 
plained in  Notes  ch.  i.  2,  and  Acts  ii. 
1 7 ;  I.  Cor.  X.  1 1 ,  a  nd  Isa.  ii.  2.  H  Hath 
he  appeared.  He  has  been  manifested 
IK  human  form.  IT  To  put  away  sin. 
(1.)  To  remove  the  punishment  due 
to  sin,  or  to  provide  a  way  of  pardon  ; 
and  (2.)  to  remove  the  stain  of  sin 
from  the  soul.  See  Notes  on  ver.  14. 
IT  By  the  sacrifice  of  himself.  See 
Notes  on  ch.  i.  3;   ii.  14 ;  vii.  27. 

27.  And  as  it  is  appointed  unto  men 
once  to  die.  Or,  '  since  it  is  appointed 
unto  men  to  die  once  only''  The  ob- 
ject of  this  is  to  illustrate  the  fact 

19 


that  Christ  died  but  once  for  sin,  and 
that  is  done  by  showing  that  the  most 
important  events  pertaining  to  man 
occur  but  once.  Thus  it  is  with  death. 
That  does  not,  and  cannot  occur  many 
times.  It  is  the  great  law  of  our  being 
that  men  die  but  once,  and  hence  the 
same  thing  was  to  be  expected  to  oc- 
cur in  regard  to  him  who  made  the 
atonement.  It  could  not  be  supposed 
that  this  great  law  pertaining  to  man 
would  be  departed  from  in  the  case 
of  him  who  died  to  make  the  atone- 
ment, and  that  he  would  repeatedly 
undergo  the  pains  of  death.  The 
same  thing  was  true  in  regard  to 
the  judgment.  Man  is  to  be  judged 
once,  and  but  once.  The  decision  is 
to  be  final,  and  is  not  to  be  repeated. 
In  like  manner  there  was  a  fitness 
that  the  great  Redeemer  should  die 
but  once,  and  that  his  death  should, 
without  being  repeated,  determine  the 
destiny  of -man.  There  was  a  remark, 
able  oneness  in  the  great  events  which 
most  affected  men ;  and  neither  death, 
the  judgment,  nor  the  atonement 
could  be  repeated.  In  regard  to  the 
declaration  here  that '  it  is  appointed 
unto  men  once  to  die,'  we  may  ob- 
serve, (1.)  that  death  is  the  result  of 
appointment.  Gen.  iii.  19.  It  ia  not 
the  effect  of  chance,  or  hap-hazard 
It  is  not  a  'debt  of  nature.'  It  is 
not  the  condition  to  which  man  was 
subject  by  the  laws  of  his  creation. 
It  is  not  to  be  accounted  for  by  the 
mere  principles  of  physiology.  God 
could  as  well  have  made  the  heart  to 
play  for  ever  as  for  fifty  years.  Death 
is  no  more  the  regular  result  of  phy- 
sical laws  than  the  guillotine  and  the 
gallows  are.  It  is  in  all  cases  the 
result  of  intelligent  appointment,  and 


218 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  61. 


for  an  aderpiate  cause.  (2.)  That  cause, 
or  the  rc.ison  of  that  appointment,  is 
sin.    Notes  Rom.  vi.  23.     This  is  the 
adequate    cause ;    tiiis    explains    the 
whole  of  it.     Holy  beings  do  not  die. 
There  is  not  the  slightest  proof  that 
an  angel  in  heaven  has  died,  or  that 
an}'  perfectly  holy  being  has  ever  died 
except   the    Lord   Jesus.      In   every 
death,  then,  we  have  a  demonstration 
that  the  race  is  guilty  ;  in  each  ease 
of  mortality  we  have  an  affecting  me- 
mento tiiat  we  are  individually  trans- 
gressors.    (3.)  Death  occurs  but  once 
in  this  world.     It  cannot  be  repeated 
if  we  should  desire  to  have  it  repeated. 
Whatever  truths  or  facts  then  pertain 
to  death ;  whatever  lessons  it  is  cal- 
culated to  convc/,  pertain  to  it  as  an 
event  which  is  not   to  occur  again. 
That  which  is  to  occur  but  once  in  an 
eternity  of  existence  acquires,  from 
that  very  fact,  if  there  were  no  other 
circumstances,  an    immense  import- 
ance.    What  is  to  be  done  but  once, 
we  should  wish  to  be  done  well.    We 
should  make    all  proper  preparation 
for  it ;  we  should  regard  it  with  sin- 
gular interest.     If  preparation  is  to 
be  made  for  it,  we  should  make  all 
which  we   expect  ever  to  make.     A 
man  who  is  to  cross  the  ocean  but 
once  ;  to  go  away  from  his  home  never 
to  return,  should  make  the  right  kind 
of  preparation.    He  cannot  come  back 
to  take  that  which  he  has  forgotten  ; 
to  arrange  that  which  he   has  neg- 
lected ;  to  give  counsel  \vhich  he  has 
failed  to  do ;  to  ask  forgiveness  for 
offences  for  wiiich  he  has  neglected 
to  seek  pardon.    And  so  of  death.    A 
man  who  dies,  dies    but   once.     He 
cannot  come  back  again  to  make  pre- 
paration if  he  has  neglected  it ;  to  re- 
piL^r  the  evils  which  he  lias  caused  by 
a  W'icked  lite;  or  to  implore  pardon 
for  sins  lor  which  he  had  failed  to  ask 
ibrgiveness.     Wiiatever  is  to  be  done 
with  reference  to  death,  is  to  be  done 
once  for  all  before  he  dies.    (4.)  Death 
occurs  to  all.     '  It  is  appointed  unto 
men' — to   the  race.      It   is    not  an 
appointment  for  one,  but  for  all.     No 
one  is  appointed  by  name  to  die ;  and 
not  an  individual  is  designated  as  one 


wlio  shall  escape.     No   e.^ccption  is 
made  in  favour  of  youth,  beauty,  or 
blood  ;  no  rank  or  station  is  exempt ; 
no  merit,  no  virtue,  no  patriotiBm,  no 
talent,  can  purchase  freedom  from  it 
In  every  other  sentence  which  goes 
out  against  men  tiicre  may  be  some 
hope  of  reprieve.    Here  there  is  none. 
We  cannot  meet  an  individual  who  is 
not  under  sentence  of  death.     It  is  not 
only  the  poor  wretch  in  the  dungeon 
doomed   to   the    gallows    who    is    to 
die,  it  is  tlie  rich  man  in  his  palace ; 
the  gay  trillcr  in  the  assembly  room ; 
the  friend  that  we  embrace  and  love ; 
and  she  whom  wc  meet  in  the  crowded 
saloon  of  fashion  with  all  the  graces 
of    accomplishment    and    adorning. 
Each  one  of  these  is  just  as   much 
under  sentence  of  death  as  the  poor 
wretch  in  the  cell,  and  the  execution 
on  any  one  of  them  may  occur  be- 
fore his.     It  is  too  for  substantially 
the  same  cause,  and  is  as  really  de- 
served. It  is  for  sin  that  all  are  doom- 
ed to  death,  and  the  fact  that  we  must 
die    should    be    a    constant    remem- 
brancer of  our  guilt,     (o.)  As  death 
is  to  occur  to  us  but  once,  there  is  a 
cheering  interest  in  the  reflection  that 
when  it  is  passed  it  is  passed  /or  eoer. 
The  dying  pang,  the  chill,  the  cold 
swcat,-are  not  to  be  repeated.     Death 
is  not  to  approach  us  often — he  is  to 
be  allowed  to  come  to  us  but  once. 
When  we  have  once  passed  through 
the  dark  valky,  we  shall  have  the  as- 
surance that  wo  shall  never  tread  its 
gloomy  way  again.     Once,  then,  let 
us  be  willing  to  dit  —  since  we  can 
die  but  once ;  and  let  us  rejoice  in 
the  assurance  which  the  gospel  fur- 
nishes, that  tlicy  wlio  die  in  the  Lord 
leave  the  world  to  go  where  death  in 
any  form  is  unknown.     ^  But  after 
t/iis  the  judgment.      The  apostle  does 
not  say  how  long  after  death  this  will 
b;',  nor  is  it  possible  for  us  to  know. 
Acts  i.  7  ;  comp.  Matt.  xxiv.  36.    Wc 
may   suppose,    however,    tliat    there 
will  be  two  periods  in  which  there 
will   be   an  act   of  judgment  passed 
on  those  wlio  die.    (1.)  Immediately 
after  death  when  they  pass  into  the 
eternal  world,  when  their  dctiny  wili 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  IX. 


219 


28  So  Christ  "  was  once  of- 

ol  Pe.  2.  24;  3.  18;  1  Jiio.  3.5. 

be  made  known  to  them.  This  seems 
to  be  necessarily  implied  in  the  sup- 
position that  they  will  continue  to 
live,  and  to  be  happy  or  miserable 
after  death.  This  act  of  judg-ment 
may  not  be  formal  and  public,  but  it 
will  be  such  as  to  show  them  what 
must  be  the  issues  of  the  final  day, 
and  as  the  result  of  that  interview 
with  God  they  will  be  made  happy  or 
miserable  until  the  final  doom  shall 
be  pronounced.  (2.)  The  more  public 
and  formal  act  of  judgment,  when 
the  whole  world  will  be  assembled  at 
the  bar  of  Christ.  Matt.  xxv.  The  de- 
cision of  that  day  will  not  change  or 
reverse  the  former ;  but  the  trial  will 
be  of  such  a  nature  as  to  bring  out  all 
the  deeds  done  on  earth,  and  the  sen- 
tence which  will  be  pronounced  will 
be  in  view  of  the  universe,  and  will 
fix  the  everlasting  doom.  Then  the 
body  will  have  been  raised ;  the  af- 
fairs of  the  world  will  be  wound  up ; 
the  elect  will  all  be  gathered  in,  and 
the  state  of  retribution  will  commence, 
to  continue  for  ever.  The  main 
thought  of  the  apostle  here  may  be, 
•  that  after  death  will  commence  a  state 
of  retribution  which  can  never  change. 
Hence  there  was  a  propriety  that 
Christ  should  die  but  once.  In  that 
future  world  he  would  not  die  to  make 
atonement,  for  there  all  will  be  fixed 
and  final.  If  men,  therefore,  neglect 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  benefits  of 
the  atonement  here,  the  opportunity 
will  be  lost  for  ever.  In  that  change- 
less state  which  constitutes  the  eter- 
nal judgment  no  sacrifice  will  be 
again  olFered  for  sin  ;  there  will  be  no 
opportunity  to  embrace  that  Saviour 
who  was  rejected  here  on  earth. 

28.  So  Christ  was  once  offered.  As 
men  are  to  die  but  once ;  and  as  all 
beyond  the  grave  is  fixed  by  the 
judgment  so  that  his  death  there 
would  make  no  change  in  the  destiny, 
there  was  a  propriety  that  he  should 
die  but  once  for  sin.  The  argument 
is,  there  is  one  probation  only,  and 
therefore  there  was  need  of  but  one 


fered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many  ;  * 

b  Is.  53.  12;  Mat.  26.  28. 


sacrifice,  or  of  his  dying'  but  once. 
If  death  were  to  occur  frequently  in 
the  existence  of  each  individual,  and 
if  each  intermediate  period  were  a 
state  of  probation,  then  there  might 
be  a  propriety  that  an  atonement 
should  be  made  with  reference  to  each 
state.  Or  if  beyond  the  grave  there 
were  a  state  of  probation  still,  then 
also  there  might  be  a  propriety  that 
an  atoning  sacrifice  should  be  offered 
there.  But  since  neither  of  these 
things  is  true,  there  was  a  fitness  that 
the  great  victim  should  die  but  once 
^  To  bear  the  sins  of  many.  To  suffer 
and  die  on  account  of  their  sins.  See 
Notes  on  Isa.  liii.  6.  11 ;  Gal.  iii.  1.3. 
The  phrase  does  not  mean  (1)  that 
Christ  wis  a  sinner — for  that  was  in 
no  sense  true.  See  ch.  vii.  26.  Nor  (2) 
that  he  literally  bore  the  penalty  due 
to  transgression — for  that  is  equally 
untrue.  The  penalty  of  the  law  for 
sin  is  all  which  the  law  when  exe- 
cuted inflicts  on  the  offender  for  his 
transgression,  and  includes  in  fact 
remorse  of  conscience,  overwhelming 
despair,  and  eternal  punishment.  But 
Christ  did  not  suffer  for  ever,  nor  did 
he  experience  remorse  of  conscience, 
nor  did  he  endure  utter  despair.  Nor 
(3)  does  it  mean  that  he  was  literally 
punished  for  our  sins.  Punishment 
pertains  only  to  the  guilty,  An%ino- 
cent  being  may  suffer  for  what  an- 
other does,  but  there  is  no  propriety 
in  saying  that  he  is  punished  for  it. 
A  father  suffers  much  from  the  mis- 
conduct of  a  son,  but  we  do  not  say 
that  he  is  punished  for  it ;  a  child 
suffers  much  from  the  intemperance 
of  a  parent — but  no  one  would  say 
that  it  was  a  punishment  on  the 
child.  Men  always  connect  the  idea 
of  criminality  with  punishment,  and 
when  we  say  that  a  man  is  punish- 
ed, we  suppose  at  once  that  there 
is  guilt.  The  phrase  here  means 
simply,  that  Christ  endured  suffer- 
ings  in  his  own  person  which,  if 
they  had  been  inflicted  on  us,  would 
have  been  the  proper  punishment  of 


220 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


and  unto  them    that  look  "  for 
him  sliall    he   appear  '  the    se- 
tt Ti.  2. 13  ;  2  Pe.  3.  12. 


sin.  He  who  wa.s  innocent  interposed, 
and  received  on  himself  what  was  de- 
Bccnding  to  meet  us,  and  consented 
to  be  treated  as  he  would  have  de- 
served if  he  had  been  a  sinner.  Tims 
he  bore  what  was  due  to  us  ;  and  tliis 
in  Scripture  phrase  is  what  is  meant 
by  bearing  our  iniquities.  See  Notes 
Isa.  hii.  4.  IT  And  unto  them  that  look 
for  him.  To  his  people.  It  is  one 
of  the  characteristics  of  Christians 
that  they  look  for  the  return  of  their 
Lord.  Titus  ii.  13;  II.  Pet.  iii.  12; 
comp.  Notes  I.  Thess.  i.  10.  They 
fully  believe  that  he  will  come.  They 
earnestly  desire  that  he  will  come. 
II.  Tim.  iv.  8 ;  Rev.  xxii.  20.  They 
are  waiting  for  his  appearing.  I. 
Thess.  i.  10.  He  left  the  world  and 
ascended  to  heaven,  but  he  will  again 
return  to  the  earth,  and  his  people  are 
looking  for  that  time  as  the  period 
when  they  shall  be  raised  up  from 
'Jieir  graves ;  when  they  shall  be  pub- 
Mcly  acknowledged  to  be  his,  and 
when  they  shall  be  admitted  to  hea- 
ven.  See  Notes  on  John  xiv.  3.  IT  Shall 
he  appear  the  second  time.  He  first 
appeared  as  the  man  of  sorrows  to 
jiiake  atonement  for  sin.  His  second 
appearance  will  be  as  the  Lord  of 
his  people,  and  the  Judge  of  the  quick 
and  the  dead.  Matt.  xxv.  31 ;  see  Notes 
Acts  i.  11.  The  apostle  does  not  say 
when  this  would  be,  nor  is  any  inti- 
mation  given  in  the  Scriptures  when 
it  will  occur.  It  is  on  the  contrary 
everywhere  declared  that  this  is  con- 
cealed from  men  (Acts  i.  7 ;  Matt. 
xxiv.  36),  and  all  that  is  known  re- 
specting the  time  is,  that  it  will  be 
suddenly  and  at  an  unexpected  mo- 
ment Matt.  xxiv.  42.  44.  50.  H  With. 
out  sin.  That  is,  when  he  comes 
again  he  will  not  make  liimsclf  a  sin- 
offering  ;  or  will  not  come  in  order 
to  make  atonement  for  sin.  It  is  not 
implied  that  when  he  came  the  first 
time  he  was  in  any  sense  a  sinner, 
but  that  he  came  then  with  reference 


cond  time,  without  sin,  unto* 
salvation. 

b  Ac.  1.  11;  Re.  1.7.  c  Is.  25.  9. 

to  sin,  or  that  the  main  object  of  his 
incarnation  was  to  '  put  away  sin  by 
the  sacrifice  of  himself.'  VVhcn  he 
comes  the  second  time,  it  will  be  with 
reference  to  another  object.  IT  Unto 
salvation.  That  is,  to  receive  his 
friends  and  followers  to  eternal  salva- 
tion. He  will  come  to  save  them  fi"om 
all  their  sins  and  temptations ;  to 
raise  them  from  their  graves  ;  to  place 
them  at  his  right  hand  in  glory,  and 
to  confirm  them  in  the  everlasting  in- 
heritance which  he  has  promised  to 
all  who  truly  love  him,  and  who  wait 
for  his  appearing. 

In  view  of  this  anticipated  return 
of  the  Redeemer,  we  may  remark — 

(1.)  There  is  a  propriety  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  should  thus  return.  He 
came  once  to  be  humbled,  despised, 
and  put  to  death ;  and  there  is  a  fit- 
ness that  he  should  come  to  be  ho- 
noured in  his  own  world. 

(2.)  Every  person  on  earth  is  intc 
rested  in  the  fact  that  he  will  return, 
for  "every  eye  shall  see  him."  Rev. 
i.  ,7.  All  who  are  now  in  their  graves, 
and  all  who  now  live,  and  all  who  will 
hereafter  live,  will  behold  the  Re- 
deemer in  his  glory. 

(3.)  It  will  not  be  merely  to  gaze 
upon  him,  and  to  admire  his  magnifi. 
cence  that  they  will  see  him.  It  will 
be  for  greater  and  more  momentous 
purposes — with  reference  to  an  eter- 
nal doom, 

(4.)  The  great  mass  of  men  are 
not  prepared  to  meet  him.  They  do 
not  believe  that  he  will  return ;  they 
do  not  desire  that  he  should  appear ; 
they  are  not  ready  for  the  'Solemn  in- 
tervicw  which  they  will  have  witli 
him.  His  appearing  now  would  over- 
whi;lm  them  with  surprise  and  horror. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  future  which 
they  less  expect  and  desire  than  the 
second  coming  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  in  the  present  state  of  the  world 
his  appearance  would  produce  almost 
universal  consternation  and  despair. 


A.  D.  (54.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


221 


It  would  be  like  the  coining  of  the 
flood  of  waters  on  the  old  world ;  like 
the  sheets  of  flame  on  the  cities  of  the 
plain  •  "^r  as  death  now  comes  to  the 
great  mass  of  those  who  die. 

(5.)  Christians  are  prepared  for  his 
coming.  Tliey  believe  in  it;  they 
desire  it ;  they  are  expecting  it.  In 
this  they  are  distinguished  from  all 
tlie  world  besides,  and  they  would  be 
ready  to  hail  his  corning  as  that  of  a 
friend,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  appear- 
ance as  that  of  their  Saviour. 

(6.)  Let  us  tlien  live  in  habitual 
preparation  for  his  advent.  To  each 
one  of  us  he  will  come  soon ;  to  all 
he  will  come  suddenly.  Whether  he 
come  to  remove  us  by  death,  or  whe- 
ther in  the  clouds  of  heaven  to  judge 
the  world,  the  period  is  not  far  dis- 
tant when  we  shall  see  him.  Yes, 
our  eyes  shall  behold  the  Son  of  God 
in  his  glory !  That  which  we  have 
long  desired — a  sight  of  our  Saviour 
who  died  for  us,  shall  soon,  very  soon 
be  granted  unto  us.  No  Christian 
begins  a  week  or  a  day  in  which  there 
is  not  "a  possibility  that  before  its  close 
he  may  have  seen  the  Son  of  God  in 
Jiis  glory ;  none  lies  down  upon  his 
bed  at  night  who  may  not,  when  the 
morning  dawns  upon  this  world,  be 
gazing  with  infinite  delight  on  the 
glories  of  the  Great  Redeemer  in  the 
heavens. 

CHAPTER  X. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    CHAPTER. 

The  general  subject  of  this  chap- 
ter is  the  sacrifice  which  Christ  has 
made  for  sin,  and  the  consequences 
which  flow  from  the  fact  that  he  has 
made  a  sufficient  atonement.  In  chap- 
ter IX.  the  apostle  had  shown  that  the 
Jewish  rites  were  designed  to  be  tem- 
porary and  typical,  and  that  the  offer- 
ings which  were  made  under  that 
dispensation  could  never  remove  sin. 
In  this  chapter  lie  shows  that  the  true 
sacrifice  had  been  made  by  which  sin 
could  be  pardoned,  and  that  certain 
very  important  consequences  followed 
from  that  fact.  The  subject  of  sac- 
rijice  was  the  most  important  part  of 
tbfl  Jewish  economy,  and  was  also 
]9* 


the  essential  thing  in  the  Christian 
dispensation,  and  hence  it  is  that  the 
apostle  dwells  upon  it  at  so  great 
length.  The  chapter  embraces  the 
following  topics. 

I.  The  apostle  repeats  what  he  had 
said  before  about  the  inefficacy  of  the 
sacrifices  made  under  the  law.  Vs. 
1 — 4.  The  law  was  a  mere  shadow 
of  good  things  to  come,  and  the  sacri- 
fices which  were  made  under  it  could 
never  render  those  who  offered  them 
perfect,  l^his  was  conclusively  proved 
by  tlie  fact  tliat  they  continued  con- 
stantly to  be  ofl^ered. 

II.  Since  this  was  the  fact  in  re. 
gard  to  those  sacrifices,  a  better  offer- 
ing had  been  provided  in  the  gospel 
by  the  Redeemer.  Vs.  5 — 10.  A 
body  had  been  prepared  him  for  this 
work ;  and  when  God  had  said  that 
he  had  no  pleasure  in  the  offerings 
under  the  law,  Christ  had  come  and 
offered  ftis  body  once  for  all  in  order 
that  an  effectual  atonement  might  be 
made  for  sin. 

III.  This  sentiment  the  apostle  fur. 
ther  illustrates  by  showing  how  this 
one  great  oflfering  was  connected  with 
the  forgiveness  of  sins.  Vs.  11 — 18. 
Under  the  Jewish  dispensation  sacri- 
fices were  repeated  every  day ;  but 
under  the  Christian  economy  when 
the  sacrifice  was  once  made  he  who 
had  offered  it  sat  down  for  ever  on 
the  right  hand  of  God,  for  his  great 
work  was  done.  Having  done  this, 
he  looked  forward  to  the  time  when 
his  work  would  have  full  effect,  and 
when  his  enemies  would  be  made  his 
footstool.  That  this  was  to  be  the 
effect  of  the  offering  made  by  the 
Mcssiali,  the  apostle  then  sliows  from 
the  Scriptures  themselves,  where  it  is 
said  (Jer.  xxxi.  33,  34),  that  under 
the  gospel  the  laws  of  God  would  be 
written  on  the  heart,  and  sin  would 
be  remembered  no  more.  There  must 
then  be,  the  apostle  inferred,  some 
way  by  wliich  this  was  to  be  secured, 
and  tliis  was  by  the  great  sacrifice  on 
the  cross,  which  had  the  effect  of  per. 
fecting  for  ever  those  who  were  sanc- 
tified. 

IV.  Since  it  was  a  fact  that  such 


l-i-l 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FOR  tho  law,  liuving  a  sha- 
dow "  of   good    things    to 
come,  and  not  the  very  image 

a  Co.  2.  17. 


of  the  things,  can  never  with 
those  sacrifices  ^vhich  they  of- 
fered year  by  year  continually 
make  the  comers  thereunto  per- 
fect. 


an  atonement  had  been  made ;  that 
one  great  oifcriiig  for  sin  liad  been 
presented  to  God  which  was  never  to 
be  repeated,  there  were  certain  con- 
sequences which  followed  from  that, 
whicli  the  apostle  proceeds  to  state. 
Vs.  19—25.  They  wore  these  («), 
the  privilege  of  drawing  near  to  God 
with  full  assurance  of  faith  (ver.  23) ; 
(b)  tlic  duty  of  holding  fast  the  pro- 
fession of  faith  without  wavering  (ver. 
23) ;  (c)  the  duty  of  exhorting  one 
another  to  fidelity  and  to  good  works 
(ver.  24);  (d)  the  duty  of  assembling 
for  public  worship,  since  they  had  a 
High  Priest  in  heaven,  and  might 
now  draw  near  to  God.     Ver.  25. 

V.  As  a  reason  for  fidelity  in  the 
divine  life,  and  for  embracing  the  of- 
fer of  mercy  now  made  through  the 
one  sacrifice  on  the  cross,  the  apostle 
urges  the  consequence  which  must 
follow  from  the  rejection  of  that  atone- 
ment, and  especially  after  having  been 
made  acquainted  with  the  truth.  Vs. 
26 — 31.  The  result,  says  he,  must 
be  certain  destruction.  If  that  was 
rejected,  there  could  remain  nothing 
but  a  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment, 
for  there  was  no  other  way  of  salva- 
tion. In  support  of  this,  the  apostle 
refers  to  what  was  the  effect  under 
the  law  of  Moses  of  disobedience,  and 
says  that  under  the  greater  light  of 
the  gospel  much  more  fearful  results 
must  follow. 

VI.  The  chapter  closes  (vs.  32—39) 
with  an  exhortation  to  fidelity  and 
perseverance.  The  apostle  reminds 
those  to  whom  he  wrote  of  what  tiiey 
h;id  already  endured ;  encourages 
them  by  the  commend;ttion  of  wliat 
tiiey  had  already  done,  and  especiiilly 
by  the  kindness  wliich  they  had  shown 
to  liiin  ;  says  that  tiicy  had  need  only 
of  patience,  and  that  the  time  of  their 
deliverance  from  all  trial  was  not  far 
of!',  for  tiiat  he  who  was  to  come  would 


come ;  says  that  it  was  their  duty  to 
love  by  faith,  but  that  if  any  one  drew 
back,  God  could  have  no  pleasure  in 
him.  Having  thus  in  the  close  of  the 
chapter  alluded  to  the  subject  of  faith, 
he  proceeds  in  the  following  chapter 
to  illustrate  its  value  at  length.  The 
object  of  the  whole  is  to  encourage 
Christians  to  make  strenuous  efforts 
for  salvation  ;  to  guard  them  against 
the  danger  of  apostasy ;  and  to  exhort 
them  to  bear  their  trials  with  patience 
and  with  submission  to  the  will  of 
God. 

1.  For  the  law,  having  a  shadow. 
That  is,  the  whole  of  the  Mosaic  eco- 
nomy was  a  shadow  ;  for  so  the  word 
law  is  often  used.  The  word  shadow 
here  refers  to  a  rough  outline  of  any- 
thing, a  mere  sketch,  such  as  a  car- 
penter draws  with  a  piece  of  chalk, 
or  such  as  an  artist  delineates  when 
he  is  about  to  make  a  picture.  He 
sketches  an  outline  of  the  object  which 
he  designs  to  draw,  which  has  some 
resemblance  to  it,  but  is  not  the 
'  very  image ;'  for  it  is  not  yet  com- 
plcte.  The  words  rendered  '  the  very 
image'  refer  to  a  painting  or  statue 
which  is  finished,  where  every  part  is 
an  exact  copy  of  the  original.  The 
'  good  things  to  come'  here  refer  to 
the  future  blessings  which  would  be 
conferred  on  man  by  the  gospel.  The 
idea  is,  that  under  the  ancient  sacri- 
fices there  was  an  imperfect  represent- 
ation ;  a  dim  outline  of  the  blessings 
which  the  gospel  would  impart  to 
men.  They  were  a  typical  represent- 
ation ;  they  were  not  such  that  it 
could  be  pretended  tiiat  tl^y  would 
answer  the  jjurpose  of  the  things 
tliemselve-!  wliich  t'lcy  were  to  repre- 
sent, and  would  make  those  who  offer- 
ed them  perilct.  Such  a  rude  outline; 
such  a  mere  sketch,  or  imperfect  de- 
lineation, could  no  more  answer  tlie 
purpose  of  s     ing  the  soul  tiiun  tlie 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


•2->;} 


2  For  then '  would  they  not 
have  ceased  to  be  offered  1   be- 

1  or,  they  would  have. 


rough  sketch  which  an  architect 
makes  would  answer  the  purpose  of 
a  house,  or  than  the  first  outline  which 
a  painter  draws  would  answer  the 
purpose  of  a  perfect  and  finished  por- 
trait. All  that  could  be  done  by  either 
would  be  to  convey  some  distant  and 
obscure  idea  of  what  the  house  or 
the  picture  might  be,  and  this  was 
all  that  was  done  by  the  law  of  Mo- 
ses. TT  Can  never  with  those  sacrifices 
which  they  offered  year  by  year  con- 
tinually. Tlie  sacrifices  here  partic- 
ularly referred  to  were  those  which 
were  offered  on  the  great  day  of  atone- 
ment. These  were  regarded  as  the 
most  sacred  and  efficacious  of  all,  and 
yet  the  apostle  says  that  the  very  fact 
that  they  were  offered  every  year 
showed  that  there  must  be  some  defi- 
ciency about  them,  or  they  would 
have  ceased  to  be  offered.  If  Make 
the  comers  thereunto  perfect.  They 
could  not  free  them  from  the  stains 
of  guilt;  they  could  not  give  ease 
to  a  troubled  conscience ;  there  was 
in  them  no  efficacy  by  which  sin 
could  be  put  away.  Comp.  Notes  on 
ch.  vii.  11 ;  ix.  9. 

2.  For  then  would  they  not  have 
ceased  to  be  offered?  Marg.  'Or  they 
would  have.'  The  sense  is  the  same. 
The  idea  is,  that  the  very  fact  that 
they  were  repeated  showed  that  there 
was  some  deficiency  in  them  as  to 
the  matter  of  cleansing  the  soul  from 
sin.  If  they  had  answered  all  the 
purposes  of  a  sacrifice  in  putting  away 
guilt,  there  would  have  been  no  need 
of  repeating  them  in  this  manner. 
They  were  in  this  respect  like  medi- 
cine. If  that  which  is  given  to  a  pa- 
tient heals  him,  there  is  no  need  of 
repeating  it ;  but  if  it  is  repeated  often 
it  shows  that  there"  was  some  defi- 
ciency in  it,  and  if  taken  periodi- 
cally through  a  man's  life,  and  the 
disease  should  still  remain,  it  would 
show  that  it  was  not  sufficient  to 
effect  his  cure.  So  it  was  with 
the    offerings    made    by  the    Jews. 


cause  that  the  worshippers  once 
purged  should  have  had  no  more 
conscience  of  sins. 

They  were  offered    every  year,  and 
indeed  every  day,  and  still  tlie  disease 
of  sin    remained.      The    conscience 
was  not  satisfied ;  and  the  guilty  felt 
that  it  was  necessary  that  the  sacra- 
fice    should   be  repeated    again    and 
again.  ^  Because  that  the  worshippers 
once  purged  should  have  had  no  more 
conscience  of  sins.     That  is,  if  their 
sacrifices  had  so  availed  as  to  remove 
their  past  sins,  and  to    procure  for- 
p-iveness,  they    would    have    had    no 
more  trouble  of  conscience  on  account 
of  them.     They  would  not  have  felt 
that  it  was  necessary  to  make  these 
sacrifices  over  and  over  again  in  order 
to  find  peace.     When  a  man  has  full 
evidence  that  an  atonement  has  been 
made  which  will    meet   all    the    de- 
mands of  the  law,  and  which  secures 
the  remission  of  sin,  he  feels  that  it  is 
enough.     It  is  all  that  the  case  de- 
mands,  and  his  conscience  may  have 
peace.     But  when    he    does  not  feel 
this,  or  has  not  evidence  that  his  sins 
are  all  forgiven,  those   sins  will  rise 
to    remembrance,    and    he    will    be 
alarmed.     He  may  be  punished  for 
them    after    all.     Thence    it   follows 
that  if  a  man  wants  peace  he  should 
have  good  evidence  that  his  sins  are 
forgiven   through   the    blood   of  the 
atonement.  No  temporary  expedient; 
no   attempt   to    cover    them  up ;    no 
effort  to  forget  them  will  answer  the 
purpose.     They  tnust  be  blotted   out 
if  he  will  have  peace — and  that  can 
be  only  through  a  perfect  sacrifice. 
By  the  use  of  the  word  rendered  '  con- 
science' here,  it  is  not  meant  that  he 
who  was    pardoned  would    have    no 
consciousness  that  he  was  a  sinner, 
or  that  he  would  forget  it,  but  that  he 
would  have  no  trouble  of  conscience; 
he   would   have  no  apprehension  of 
future  wrath.  The  pardon  of  sin  does 
not  cause  itfo cease  to  be  remembered. 
He  who  is  forgiven  may  have  a  deeper 
conviction  of  its  evil  than  he  had  ever 
had  before.     But  he  will  not  be  trou- 
bled or  distressed  by  it  as  if  it  were 


224 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


3  But  in  those  sacrifices  there 
is  a  remembrance  again  made 
of  sins  every  year." 

4  For  it  is  not  possible  that 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats 
should  take  away  sins.' 

a  Le.  16.  34.  6  Mat.  13.  31,  32. 


to  expose  liim  to  the  wrath  of  God. 
The  remembrance  of  it  will  humble 
him  ;  it  will  serve  to  exalt  his  con- 
ceptions of  the  mercy  of  God  and  the 
glory  of  the  atonement,  but  it  will  no 
longer  overwhelm  the  mind  with  the 
dread  of  hell.  This  effect,  the  apostle 
says,  was  not  produced  on  the  minds 
of  those  who  offered  sacrifices  every 
year.  The  very  fact  that  tliey  did  it, 
showed  that  the  conscience  was  not 
at  peace. 

3.  But  in  those  sacrifices  there  is  a 
remembrance  again  made  of  sins  every 
year.  The  reference  here  is  to  the 
sacrifices  made  on  the  great  day  of 
atonement.  This  occurred  once  in  a 
year.  Of  course  as  often  as  a  sacri- 
fice was  offered,  it  was  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  guilt  on  the  part  of  those 
for  whom  it  was  made.  As  these 
sacrifices  continued  to  be  offered  every 
year,  they  who  made  the  offering 
were  reminded  of  their  guilt  and  their 
desert  of  punishment.  AH  the  cflicacy 
which  could  be  pretended  to  belong 
those  sacrifices,  was  that  they  made 
expiation  for  the  past  year.  Their 
efliicacy  did  not  extend  into  the  future, 
nor  did  it  embrace  any  but  those  who 
were  engaged  in  offering  them.  These 
sacrifices,  therefore,  could  not  make 
the  atonement  which  man  needed. 
They  could  not  make  the  conscience 
easy ;  they  could  not  be  regarded  as 
a  sufficient  expiation  for  tne  time  to 
come,  so  that  tiic  sinner  at  any  time 
could  plead  an  offering  which  was 
already  made  as  a  ground  of  pardon, 
and  they  could  not  meet  tlie  wants  of 
all  men  in  all  lands  and  at  all  times. 
These  things  are  to  be  found  only  in 
that  great  sacrifice  made  by  the  Re- 
deemer on  the  cross. 

4.  For  it  is  not  possible  that  the 
blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  should  take 


5  \Vherefore,  when  he  com- 
eth  into  the  world,  he  saith,* 
Sacrifice  and  offering  thou 
%vouldest  not,  but  a  body  hast 
thou  prepared  '  me. 


e  Ps.  40.  6-8. 


1  or,  thou  kaatfitted. 


away  sins.  The  reference  here  is  to  the 
sacrifices  which  were  made  on  the 
great  day  of  the  atonement,  for  on  that 
day  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  alone 
was  offered.  See  Notes  on  ch.  ix.  7. 
Paul  here  means  to  say,  doubtless, 
that  it  was  not  possible  that  the  blood 
of  these  animals  should  make  a  com- 
plete expiation  so  as  to  purify  the 
conscience,  and  so  as  to  save  the  sin- 
ner from  deserved  wrath.  According 
to  the  divine  arrangement,  expiation 
was  made  by  those  sacrifices  for 
offences  of  various  kinds  against  the 
ritual  law  of  Moses,  and  pardon  for 
such  offences  was  thus  obtained.  But 
the  meaning  here  is,  that  there  was  no 
efficacy  in  the  blood  of  a  mere  ani- 
mal to  wash  away  a  moral  offence. 
It  could  not  repair  the  law  ;  it  could 
not  do  anything  to  maintain  the  jus- 
tice of  God  ;  it  had  no  efficacy  to 
make  the  heart  pure.  The  mere 
shedding  of  the  blood  of  an  animal 
never  could  make  the  soul  pure.  This 
the  apostle  states  as  a  truth  which 
must  be  admitted  at  once  as  indispu- 
table, and  yet  it  is  probable  that  many 
of  the  Jews  had  imbibed  the  opinion 
that  there  was  such  efficacy  in  blood 
shed  according  to  the  divine  direction, 
as  to  remove  all  stains  of  guilt  from 
the  soul.     See  Notes  ch.  ix.  9,  10. 

~t.  Wherefore.  This  word  shows 
thjit  the  apostle  means  to  sustain 
what  he  had  said  by  a  reference  to 
the  Old  Testament  itself.  Nothing 
could  be  more  opposite  to  the  pre- 
vailing Jewish  opinions  about  the 
efficacy  of  sacrifice,  than  what  he  had 
just  said.  It  was,  therefore,  of  the 
highest  imj)ortance  to  defend  the 
position  which  he  had  laid  down 
by  authority  whicii  they  would  not 
presume  to  call  in  question,  and 
he    therefore   makes    his   appeal   to 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER    X. 


225 


their  own  Scriptures.  IT  When  he 
Cometh  into  the  world.  When  the 
Messiah  came,  for  the  passage  evi- 
dently referred  to  liini.  The  Greek 
is,  '  Wherefore  coming  into  the  world, 
he  saith.'  It  has  been  made  a  ques- 
tion when  this  is  to  be  understood  as 
spoken — whether  when  he  was  born, 
or  when  he  entered  on  the  work  of 
his  ministry.  Grotius  understands  it 
of  the  latter.  But  it  is  not  material 
to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  pas- 
sage to  determine  this.  The  simple 
idea  is,  that  since  it  was  impossible 
that  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats 
should  take  away  sin,  Christ  coming 
into  the  world  made  arrangements 
for  a  better  sacrifice.  If  He  saith. 
That  is,  this  is  the  language  denoted 
by  his  great  undertaking ;  this  is 
what  his  coming  to  make  an  atone- 
ment implies.  We  are  not  to  suppose 
that  Christ  formally  used  these  words 
on  any  occasion — for  we  have  no  re- 
cord that  he  did  —  but  this  language 
is  that  which  appropriately  expresses 
the  nature  of  iiis  work.  Perhaps  also 
the  apostle  means  to  say  that  it  was 
originally  employed  in  the  Psalm 
from  which  it  is  quoted  in  reference 
to  him,  or  was  indited  by  him  with 
reference  to  his  future  advent.  IT  Sa- 
crifice and  offering  thou  wouldest  not. 
This  is  quoted  from  Ps.  xl.  6.  8. 
There  has  been  much  perplexity  felt 
by  expositors  in  reference  to  this  quo- 
tation, and  after  all  which  has  been 
written,  it  is  not  entirely  removed. 
The  difficulty  relates  to  these  points. 
(1.)  To  the  question  whether  the 
Psalm  originally  had  any  reference 
to  the  Messiah.  The  Psalm  appears 
to  have  pertained  merely  to  David, 
and  it  would  probably  occur  to  no 
one  on  reading  it  to  suppose  that  it 
referred  to  the  Messiah,  unless  it  had 
been  so  applied  by  the  apostle  in  this 
place.  (2.)  There  are  many  parts  of 
the  Psalm,  it  has  been  said,  which 
cannot,  without  a  very  forced  inter- 
pretation, be  applied  to  Christ.  See 
vs.  2.  12.  14—16.  (3.)  The  argument 
ol  the  apostle  in  the  expression  "  a 
body  hast  thou  prepared  me,"  seems 
to  be  based  on  a  false  translation  of 


the  Septuagint  which  he  has  adopted, 
and  it  is  dilHcult  to  see  on  what  prin- 
ciples he  has  done  it. — It  is  not  the 
design  of  these  Notes  to  go  into  an 
extended  examination  of  questions  of 
tins  nature.  Such  examination  must 
be  sought  in  more  extended  commen- 
taries, and  in  treatises  expressly  re- 
lating to  points  of  this  kind.  On  the 
design  of  Ps.  xl.,  and  its  applicability 
to  the  Messiah,  the  reader  may  con- 
sult Prof.  Stuart  on  the  Hebrews,  Ex- 
cursus  XX.  and  Kuinoel  in  loc.  After 
the  most  attentive  examination  which 
I  can  give  of  the  Psalm,  it  seems 
to  me  probable  that  it  is  one  of  the 
Psalms  which  had  an  original  and 
exclusive  reference  to  the  Messiah, 
and  that  the  apostle  has  quoted  it  just 
as  it  was  meant  to  be  understood  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  as  applicable  to  him. 
The  reasons  for  this  opinion  are 
briefly  these.  (1.)  There  are  such 
Psalms,  as  is  admitted  by  all.  The 
Messiah  was  the  hope  of  the  Jewish 
people  ;  he  was  made  the  subject  o< 
their  most  sublime  prophecies,  anc" 
nothing  was  more  natural  than  thai 
he  should  be  the  subject  of  the  songrt 
of  their  sacred  bards.  By  the  spirj" 
of  inspiration  they  saw  him  in  th'- 
distant  future  in  the  various  circum 
stances  in  which  he  would  be  placed 
and  they  dwelt  with  delight  upon  the 
vision.  Comp.  Intro,  to  Isaiah,  §  7. 
iii.  (2.)  The  fact  that  it  is  here  ap- 
plied to  the  Messiah,  is  a  strong  cir- 
cumstance to  demonstrate  that  it  had 
an  original  applicability  to  him.  This 
proof  is  of  two  kinds.  First,  that  it 
is  so  applied  by  an  inspired  apostle, 
which  with  all  who  admit  his  inspira- 
tion  seems  decisive  of  the  question. 
Second,  the  fact  that  he  so  applied  it 
shows  that  this  was  an  ancient  and 
admitted  interpretation.  The  apostle 
was  writing  to  those  who  had  been 
Jews,  and  whom  he  was  desirous  to 
convince  of  the  truth  of  what  he  was 
alleging  in  regard  to  the  nature  of 
the  Hebrew  sacrifices.  For  this 
purpose  it  was  necessary  to  appeal  to 
the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament, 
but  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  ha 
would    adduce   a    passage  for  proof 


22G 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


whose  relevancy  would  not  be  admit- 
ted.    The    presiunption  is,  that  tlie 
passage   was   in   fact  coninionly   ap- 
plied   as    here,      (3.)  Tlie  whole   of 
the    Psalin   may   be    referred  to  the 
Messiah  without  anything  forced  or 
unnatural.     'I'he    Psahn    throughout 
seems  to  be  made  up  of  expressions 
used  by  a  suffering  person,  who  had 
indeed  been  delivered  from  some  evils, 
but  who  was  expecting  many  more. 
The  principal  ditiieultics  in  the  way 
of  such  an  interpretation,  relate  to  the 
following  points,     (a)  In  ver.  2,  the 
speaker    in    the    Psalm    says,    "  He 
brought  me  up  out  of  an  horrible  pit, 
out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet 
upon  a  rock,"  and  on  the  ground  of 
this  he   gives  thanks   to  God.     But 
there  is  no  real  difficulty  in  supposing 
that  this  may  refer  to  the  Messiah. 
His  enemies  often  plotted  against  his 
life ;  laid  snares  for  him  and  endea- 
voured to  destroy  him,  and  it  may  be 
that  he  refers  to  some  deliverance  from 
Buch  machinations.    If  it  is  objected 
to  this  tliat  it  is  spoken  of  as  having 
been  uttered  '  when  lie  came  into  the 
world,'   it  may  be   replied,  that  that 
phrase  does  not  necessarily  refer  to 
the  time  of  his  birth,  but  that  he  ut- 
tered this  sentiment  sometime  during 
the  period  of  his   incarnation.     '  He 
coming  into  the  world  for  tlie  purpose 
of  redemption  made  use  of  tliis  lan- 
guage.' In  a  similar  manner  we  would 
say  of  Laiiiyette,  that  '  lie,  coming  to 
the  United  States  to  aid  in  the  cause 
of  liberty,  suffered  a  wound  in  battle.' 
That  is,  during  tiie  period  in  which 
he  was  engaged  in  this  cause,  he  suf- 
fered in  this  manner.     (6.)  Tiie  next 
objection  or  difficulty  relates  to  the 
application  of  ver.  12  to  the  Messiah. 
'  Aline  iniquities  have  taken  hold  upon 
me,  so  that  I  am  not  able  to  look  up ; 
they  are  more  tlian  tlie  hairs  of  my 
licad  ;  therefore  my  heart  tailutii  me.' 
To  meet  this,  some   have   suggested 
that  he  refers  to  the  sins  of  men  which 
he  took  upon  himself,  and  which  he 
here  speaks  of  as  his  own.     But  it  is 
not  true  tliat  tlie  Lord  Jesus  so  took 
upon  himself  the  sins  of  others  that 
they  could  be  called  his.     They  were 


not  his,  for   he  was   in   every  sense 
'lioly,  harmless,  and  undefiled.'     The 
true  solution  of  this  difficulty,  probably 
is,  that  the  word  rendered  iniquity — 
U^  —  means     calamity,    misfortune, 
trouble.     Sec   Ps.    xxxi.  10 ;  I.  Sam. 
.xxviii.    10;     II.   Kings   vii,   9;    Ps. 
xxxviii.  G ;  comp.  Ps.  xlix.   5.     The 
proper  idea  in  the  word  is  that  of 
turning  away,  curving,  making  crook, 
ed ;    and  it  is  thus  applied  to  any- 
thing  which   is  perverted  or  turned 
from  the  right  way  ;  as  when  one  is 
turned  from  the  path  of  rectitude,  or 
commits    sin ;    wiien   one    is   turned 
from  the  way  of  prosperity  or  happi- 
ness, or  is  exposed  to  calamity.    This 
seems  to  be  the  idea  demanded  by  the 
scope  of  the  Psalm,  for  it  is  not  a  pen- 
itential Psalm,  in  which  the  speaker 
is  recountinghis  sins,  but  one  in  which 
he  is  enumerating  his  sorrows;  prais- 
ing God  in  the  first  part  of  the  Psalm 
for  some  deliverance  already  experi- 
enced, and  supplicating  his  interposi- 
tion in  view  of  calamities  that  he  saw 
to  be  coming  upon  him.   This  interpre- 
tation also  seems  to  be  demanded  in 
ver.  12  of  the  Psalm  by  the  parallel- 
ism.    In  the  former  part  of  tiie  verse, 
the  word  to  which  '  iniquity'  corre- 
sponds, is  not  sin,  but  evil,  i.  e.  ca- 
lamity. 

"  For  innumerable  evils  have  compassed  me 
abxiit ; 
Mine  iniquities  [calamities]  have  taken 
hold  upon  me." 

If  tlid  word,  therefore,  be  used  here 
as  it  often  is,  and  as  the  scope  of  the 
Psalm  and  the  connexion  seem  to  de- 
mand, there  is  no  solid  objection 
against  applying  this  verse  to  the 
Messiah,  (c.)  A  third  objection  to 
tliis  application  of  the  Psvalm  to  the 
Messiah  is,  that  it  cannot  be  supposed 
that  he  would  utter  such  imprecations 
on  his  enemies  as  are  found  in  vs.  14, 
15.  '  Let  them  be  ashamed  and  cotv 
founded ;  let  them  be  driven  back- 
ward  ;  let  them  be  desolate.'  To  this 
it  may  be  replied,  that  such  impreca- 
tions are  as  proper  in  tlie  mouth  of 
the  Messiah  as  of  David  ;  but  particu- 
larly, it  may  be  said  also,  that  they 


A.  D,  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


227 


are  improper  in  the  mouth  of  neither. 
Both  David  and  the  Messiah  did  in 
fact  utter  denunciations  against  the 
enemies  of  piety  and  of  God.  God 
does  the  same  thing  in  his  word  and 
by  his  Providence.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence of  any  malignant  feeling  in 
this;  nor  is  it  inconsistent  with  the 
highest  benevolence.  The  lawgiver 
who  says  that  the  murderer  shall  die, 
may  have  a  heart  full  of  benevolence  ; 
the  judge  who  sentences  him  to  death, 
may  do  it  with  eyes  filled  with  tears. 
The  objections,  then,  are  not  of  such 
a  nature  that  it  is  improper  to  regard 
this  Psalm  as  wholly  applicable  to  the 
Messiah.  (4.)  The  Psalm  cannot  be 
applied  with  propriety  to  David,  nor 
do  we  know  of  any  one  to  whom  it 
can  be  but  to  the  Messiah.  When 
was  it  true  of  David  that  he  said  that 
he  '  had  come  to  do  the  will  of  God  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  God  did  not  re- 
quire sacrifice  and  oflferings  ?'  In 
what '  volume  of  a  book'  was  it  writ- 
ten of  him  before  his  birth  that  he 
'  delighted  to  do  the  will  of  God  ?' 
When  was  it  true  that  he  had  '  preach- 
ed righteousness  in  the  great  congre- 
gation ?'  These  expressions  are  such 
as  can  be  applied  properly  only  to  the 
Messiah,  as  Paul  does  here  ;  and  tak- 
ing all  these  circumstances  together 
it  will  probably  be  regarded  as  the 
most  proper  interpretation  to  refer  the 
whole  Psalm  at  once  to  the  Redeemer, 
and  to  suppose  that  Paul  has  used  it 
in  strict  accordance  with  its  original 
design.  The  other  difliculties  referred 
to  will  be  considered  in  the  exposition 
of  the  passage. — The  diiFerencc  be- 
tween sacrijice  and  offering  is,  that 
the  former  refers  to  bloody  sacrifices  ; 
the  latter  to  any  oblation  made  to  God 
— as  a  thank-offering  ;  an  oflTering-  of 
flour,  oil,  &c.  See  Notes  on  Isa.  i.ll. 
When  it  is  s;i id  'sacrifice  and  oftcr- 
jng  tlwu  wouldesl  not,'  the  meaning  is 
not  that  such  oblations  were  in  no 
sense  acceptable  to  God — for  as  his 
appointment,  and  when  offered  with  a 
sincere  heart,  they  doubtless  were;  but 
that  tliey  were  not  us  acceptable  to  him 
as  obedience,  and  especially  as  the  ex- 
pression is  used  here  that  they  could 


not  avail  to  secure  the  forgiveness  of 
sins.  They  were  not  in  their  own 
nature  such  as  was  demanded  to  make 
an  expiation  for  sin,  and  hence  a  body 
was  prepared  for  the  Messiah  by 
which  a  more  perfect  sacrifice  could 
be  made.  The  sentiment  here  ex- 
pressed occurs  more  than  once  in  the 
Old  Testament.  Thus,  I.  Sam.  xv. 
22.  "  Behold,  to  obey  is  better  than 
sacrifice,  and  to  hearken  than  the  fat 
of  rams."  Hos.  vi.  6.  "  For  I  de- 
sired mercy  and  not  sacrifice ;  and 
the  knowledge  of  God  more  than 
burnt-offerings."  Comp.  Ps.  li.  16, 
17.  "For  thou  desirest  not  sacrifice, 
else  would  I  give  it ;  thou  delightest 
not  in  burnt-offering.  The  sacrifices 
of  God  are  a  broken  spirit."  This 
was  an  indisputable  principle  of  the 
Old  Testament,  though  it  was  much 
obscured  and  forgotten  in  the  com- 
mon estimation  among  the  Jews.  In 
accordance  with  this  principle  the 
Messiah  came  to  render  obedience  of 
the  highest  order,  even  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  he  was  willing  to  lay  down 
his  own  life.  V  But  a  body  hast  thou 
prepared  me.  This  is  one  of  the  pas- 
sages which  has  caused  a  difficulty 
in  understanding  this  quotation  from 
the  Psalm.  The  difficulty  is,  that  it 
differs  from  the  Hebrew,  and  that  the 
apostle  builds  an  argument  vpon  it. 
It  is  not  unusual  indeed  in  the  New 
Testament  to  make  use  of  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Septuagint  even  where 
it  varies  somewhat  from  the  Hebrew  ; 
and  -where  no  argument  is  based  on 
such  a  passage,  there  can  be  no  difli. 
culty  in  such  a  usage,  since  it  is  not 
uncommon  to  make  use  of  the  lan- 
guage of  others  to  express  our  own 
thoughts.  But  the  apostle  does  not 
appear  to  have  made  such  a  use  of 
the  passage  here,  but  to  have  applied 
it  in  the  way  of  argument.  Tlie  ar- 
gument, indeed,  does  not  rest  wholly, 
perhaps  not  principally,  on  the  fact 
that  a  '  body  liad  been  prepared'  for 
the  Messiah  ;  but  still  this  was  evi 
dently  in  the  view  of  the  apostle  an 
important  consideration,  and  this  is 
the  passage  on  •which  the  proof  of 
this  is  based.     The  Hebrew  (Ps.  xl. 


228 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


6)  is,  '  Mine  ears  hast  thou  opened,' 
or  as  it  is  in  the  margin,  digged.  The 
idea  there  is,  tliat  the  car  had  been, 
as  it  were,  excavated,  or  dujf  out,  so 
as  to  be  made  to  liear  distinctly  ;  that 
is,  certain  truths  liad  been  clearly  re- 
vealed to  the  speaker ;  or  periiaps  it 
may  mean  that  he  hud  been  made 
'readily  and  attentively  obedient.' 
Stuart.  Comp.  Isa.  1.  5.  "  The  Lord 
God  hath  opened  mine  ear,  and  I  was 
not  rebellious."  In  the  Psalm,  tlie 
proper  connexion  would  seem  to  be, 
that  the  speaker  had  been  made  obe- 
dient, or  had  been  so  led  that  he  was 
disposed  to  do  the  will  of  God.  Tliis 
may  be  expressed  by  the  fact  that  the 
ear  had  been  opened  so  as  to  be  quick 
to  hear,  since  an  indisposition  to  obey 
is  often  expressed  by  the  fact  tliat  the 
ears  are  stopped.  There  is  manifestly 
no  allusion  here,  as  has  been  some- 
times supposed,  to  the  custom  of  bor- 
ing through  the  ear  of  a  servant  with 
an  awl  as  a  sign  that  he  was  willing 
to  remain  and  serve  his  master,  Ex. 
xxi.  6;  Deut.  xv.  17.  In  that  case, 
the  outer  circle,  or  rim  of  the  ear  was 
bored  through  with  an  awl ;  here  the 
idea  is  that  of  hollowing  out,  digging, 
or  excavating — a  process  to  make  tlie 
passage  clear,  not  to  pierce  the  out- 
ward ear.  The  Hebrew  in  the  Psalm 
the  Septuagint  translates,  'a  body 
hast  thou  prepared  me,'  and  this  ren- 
dering has  been  adopted  by  the  apos- 
tle. Various  ways  have  been  resort- 
ed to  of  explaining  the  fact  that  the 
translators  of  the  Septuagint  render- 
ed it  in  this  manner,  none  of  which 
are  entirely  free  from  difficulty.  Some 
critics,  as  Cappell,  Erncsti,  and  others 
have  endeavoured  to  show  that  it  i» 
probable  that  the  Septuagjnt  reading 

in  Ps.  xl.  C,  was — un'or  Karnprhu)  fioi — 

'  my  ear  thou  hast  prepared  ;'  that  is, 
for  obedience.  But  of  this  tiicre  is 
no  proof,  and  indeed  it  is  evident  that 
the  apostle  quoted  it  as  if  it  were 
au>na,  body.  See  ver.  10.  It  is  pro- 
bably altogether  impossible  now  to 
explain  the  reason  why  the  transla- 
tors of  the  Septuagint  rendered  the 
phrase  as  they  did  ;  'and  this  remark 
may  be  extended  to  many  other  places 


of  their  version.  It  is  to  be  admitted 
here,  beyond  all  doubt,  whatever  con- 
sequences may  follow,  (1)  that  their 
version  does  not  accord  with  the  He- 
brew ;  (2)  that  the  apostle  has  quoted 
their  version  as  it  stood,  without  at- 
tempting to  correct  it;  (3)  that  his 
use  of  the  passage  is  designed,  to 
some  extent'at  least,  as /jroq/"  of  what 
he  was  demonstrating.  The  leading 
idea ;  the  important  and  essential 
point  in  the  argument,  is,  indeed,  not 
that  a  body  was  prepared,  but  that  he 
came  to  do  the  will  of  God ;  but  still 
it  is  clear  that  the  apostle  meant  to 
lay  some  stress  on  the  fact  that  a  body 
had  been  prepared  for  the  Redeemer. 
Sacrifice  and  offering  by  the  bodies 
of  lambs  and  goats  were  not  what  was 
required,  but  instead  of  that  the  Mes- 
siah came  to  do  the  will  of  God  by  of- 
fering a  more  perfect  sacrifice,  and  in 
accomplishing  that  it  was  necessary 
that  he  should  be  endowed  with  a  body. 
But  on  what  principle  tire  apostle  has 
quoted  a  passage  to  prove  tliis  which 
differs  from  the  Hebrew,  I  confess  I 
cannot  see,  nor  do  any  of  the  expla- 
nations offered  commend  themselves 
as  satisfactory.  The  only  circum- 
stances which  seem  to  furnish  any  re- 
lief  to  the  difficulty  are  these  two — 
(1)  tliat  the  main  point  in  the  argu- 
ment of  tlie  apostle  was  not  that  '  & 
body  had  been  prepared,'  but  that  the 
Messiah  came  to  do  the  '  will  of  God,' 
and  that  the  preparation  of  a  body  for» 
that  was  rather  an  inciderttal  circum- 
stance ;  and  ("J)  that  the  translation 
by  the  Septuagint  was  not  a  material 
departure  from  the  scope  of  the  whole 
Hebrew  passage.  The  main  thought 
— that  of  doing  the  will  of  God  in  the 
place  of  offering  sacrifice — was  still 
retained  ;  the  opening  of  the  ears,  i.  e. 
rendering  the  person  attentive  and 
disposed  to  obey,  and  the  preparing 
of  a  bcjdy  in  ord>.'r  to  obedience,  were 
not  circumstances  so  unlike  as  to 
make  it  necessary  for  the  apostle  to 
re-translate  the  wliole  passage  in  or. 
der  to  the  main  end  whicji  he  had  ia 
view.  Still,  I  admit,  that  these  con 
siderations  do  not  seem  to  me  to  be 
wholly  satisfactory,     Those  who  are 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


229 


6  In  burnt-offerings  and  sa- 
crifices for  sins  thou  hast  had 
no  pleasure : 


disposed  to  examine  the  various  opi- 
nions which  have  been  entertained  of 
this  passage  may  find  them  in  Kui- 
noel,  in  loc,  Rosenmiiller,  Stuart  on 
the  Hebrews,  Excursus  xx.,  and  Ken- 
nicott  on  Ps.  xl.  7.  Kennicott  sup- 
poses that  there  has  been  a  change  in 
the  Hebrew  text,  and  that  instead  of 
the  present  reading — D''JTN — oznaim, 

ears,   the   reading   was    ^^J   IN — oz, 

gvph — then  a  body;  and  that  these 
words  became  united  by  the  error  of 
transcribers,  and  by  a  slight  change 
then  became  as  the  present  copies  of 
the  Hebrew  text  stands.  This  con- 
jecture is  ingenious,  and  if  it  were 
ever  allowable  to  follow  a  mere  con- 
jecture, I  should  be  disposed  to  do  it 
here.  But  there  is  no  authority  from 
MSS.  for  any  change,  nor  do  any  of 
the  old  versions  justify  it,  or  agree 
with  this  except  the  Arabic. 

6.  In  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices 
for  sin  thou  hast  had  no  pleasure. 
This  is  not  quoted  literally  from  the 
Psalm,  but  the  sense  is  retained.  The 
reading  there  is,  "  burnt-offering  and 
sin-offering  hast  thou  not  required." 
The  quotation  by  the  apostle  is  taken 
from  the  Septuagint,  with  the  change 
of  a  single  word,  which  does  not  ma- 
terially affect  the  sense  —  the  word 
6vK  ivioK-naas  —  ouk  eudukesas  —  'thou 
hast  no  pleasure,'  instead  of  ouk  h^iXt]- 
aai — ouk  ethelesas  — '  thou  dost  not 
will.'  The  idea  is,  that  God  had  no 
pleasure  in  them  as  compared  with 
obedience.  He  preferred  the  latter, 
■and  they  could  not  be  made  to  come 
in  the  place  of  it,  or  to  answer  the 
same  purpose.  When  they  were  per- 
formed with  a  pure  heart,  he  was 
doubtless  pleased  with  the  offering. 
As  used  here  in  reference  to  the  Mes- 
siah, the  meaning  is,  that  they  would 
not  be  what  was  required  of  him. 
Such  offerings  would  not  answer  the 
end  for  which  he  was  sent  into  the 
20 


7  Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come 
(in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is 
written  of  me)  to  do  thy  will, 
OGod. 


world,  for  that  end  was  to  be  accom- 
plished only  by  his  being  '  obedient 
unto  death.' 

7.  Then  said  I.  I  the  Messiah. 
Paul  applies  this  directly  to  Christ, 
showing  that  he  regarded  the  passage 
in  the  Psalms  as  referring  to  him  as 
the  speaker.  IT  Lo,  I  come.  Come  into 
the  world.  Ver.  5.  It  is  not  easy  to 
see  liow  this  could  be  applied  to  Da- 
vid in  any  circumstance  of  his  life. 
There  was  no  situation  in  which  he 
could  say  that,  since  sacrifices  and 
offerings  were  not  what  was  demand- 
ed, he  came  to  do  the  will  of  God  in 
the  place  or  stead  of  them.  The  time 
here  referred  to  by  the  word  '  then^  is 
when  it  was  manifest  that  sacrifices 
and  offerings  for  sin  would  not  an- 
swer all  the  purposes  desirable,  or 
when  in  view  of  tliat  fact  the  purpose 
of  the  Redeemer  is  conceived  as 
formed  to  enter  upon  a  work  which 
would  effect  what  they  could  not. 
If  In  the  volume  of  the  book,  it  is  lorit- 
ten  of  me.  The  word  here  rendered 
'  volume' — KitpaKis — means  properly  a 
little  head  ;  and  then  a  knob,  and  here 
refers  doubtless  to  the  head  or  knob 
of  the  rod  on  which  the  Hebrew  ma- 
nuscripts vi'ere  rolled.  Books  were 
usually  so  written  as  to  be  rolled  up, 
and  when  they  were  read  they  were 
unrolled  at  one  end  of  the  manuscript, 
and  rolled  up  at  the  other  as  fast  as 
they  were  read.  See  Notes  on  Luke 
iv.  17.  The  rods  on  which  they  were 
rolled  had  small  heads,  either  for  the 
purpose  of  holding  them,  or  for  orna- 
ment, and  hence  the  name  head  came 
metapliorically  to  be  given  to  the  roll 
or  volume.  But  what  volume  is  liere 
intended  ?  And  where  is  that  written 
which  is  here  ref(*rred  to  ?  If  David 
was  the  author  of  the  Psalm  from 
which  this  is  quoted  (Ps.  xL),  tlien 
the  book  or  volume  which  was  then 
in  existence  must  have  been  princi- 
pally, if  not  entirely,  the  fij'e  books 


830 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


8  Above,  wlicn  he  said,  Sa- 
crifice and  oflcriiig  and  burnt- 
ofl'erings   and   offering    for   sin 


of  Moses,  and  perhaps  tlie  books  of 
Job,  Joslma,  and  Judjrcs,  with  proba- 
bly a  few  of  the  Psahns.  It  is  inost 
natural  to  understand  this  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch, or  the  live  books  of  Moses, 
as  the  word  '  volume'  at  that  time 
would  undoubtedly  have  most  natu- 
rally suggested  that.  But  plainly, 
this  could  not  refer  to  David  himself, 
for  in  wjiat  part  of  the  law  of  Moses, 
>r  in  any  of  the  volumes  then  extant, 
;an  a  reference  of  this  kind  be  found 
X)  David  ?  There  is  no  promise,  no 
intimation  that  he  would,comc  to  '  do 
ilie  will  of  God'  with  a  view  to  effect 
that  which  could  not  be  done  by  the 
sacrifices  prescribed  by  the  Jewish 
law.  The  reference  of  the  language, 
therefore,  must  be  to  the  Messiah — 
to  some  place  where  it  is  represented 
that  he  would  come  to  effect  by  his 
obedience  what  could  not  be  done  by 
the  sacrifices  and  offerings  under  the 
law.  But  still,  in  the  books  of  Moses, 
this  language  is  not  lilerally  found, 
and  the  meaning  must  be,  that  lliis 
was  the  language  which  was  there 
implied  respecting  the  Messiah ;  or 
this  was  the  substance  of  the  descrip- 
tion given  of  liim,  that  he  would  come 
to  take  the  place  of  those  sacrifices, 
and  by  his  obedience  unto  death  would 
accomplish  what  they  could  not  do. 
They  had  a  reference  to  him  ;  and  it 
was  contemplated  in  their  appoint- 
ment that  their  inefficiency  would  be 
(iuch  that  there  should  be  felt  a  ne- 
cessity for  a  higher  sacrifice,  and 
when  he  should  come  they  would  all 
be  done  away.  The  whole  language 
of  the  institution  of  sacrifices,  and  of 
the  Mosaic  economy,  was,  that  a  Sa- 
viour would  hereafter  come  to  do  the 
will  of  God  in  making  an  atonement 
for  tlip  "sin  of  the  world.  That  there 
are  places  in  the  books  of  Moses  which 
refer  to  the  Saviour,  is  expressly  af- 
firmed by  Christ  himself  (John  v.  46), 
and  by  tiie  apostles  (comp.  Acts  xxii. 
23),  and  that  the  general  spirit  of  the 


thou  wouldest  rot,  neither  hadst 
plea.sure  therein;  which  are  of- 
fered by  the  law; 

institutions  of  Moses  had  reference  to 
him  is  abundantly  demonstrated  in 
this  epistle.  The  meaning  here  is, 
'  I  come  to  do  thy  will  in  making  iin 
atonement,  for  no  other  offering  would 
expiate  sin.  That  I  would  do  this  is 
the  language  of  the  Scriptures  which 
predict  my  coming,  and  of  the  whole 
spirit  and  design  of  the  ancient  dis- 
pensation.'  IT  To  do  thy  will,  O  God. 
This  expresses  the  amount  of  all  that 
the  Redeemer  came  to  do.  He  came 
to  do  the  will  of  God  (1)  by  perfect 
obedience  to  his  law,  and  (2)  b}'  mak- 
ing an  atonement  for  sin — becoming 
'obedient  unto  death.'  Phil.  ii.  8.  The 
latter  is  the  principal  thought  here, 
for  the  apostle  is  showing  that  sacri- 
fice and  offering  such  as  were  made 
under  the  law  would  not  put  away 
sin,  and  that  Christ  came  in  contra- 
distinction from  them  to  make  a  sa- 
crifice that  would  be  efficacious. 
Everywhere  in  the  Scriptures  it  is 
held  out  as  being  the  '  will  of  God' 
that  such  an  atonement  should  be 
made.  There  was  salvation  in  no 
other  way,  nor  was  it  possible  that 
the  race  should  be  saved  unless  the 
Redeemer  drank  that  cup  of  bitter 
sorrows.  Sec  Matt,  xxvii.  39.  AVe  are 
not  to  suppose,  liowever,  that  it  was 
by  mere  arbitrary  icill  that  those  suf^ 
ferings  were  demanded.  There  were 
good  reasons  for  all  that  the  Saviour 
was  to  endure,  though  those  reasons 
are  not  all  made  known  to  us. 

8.  Above  ichen  he  said.  That  is, 
the  Messiah.  Tlie  word  '  above'  re- 
fers here  to  the  former  part  of  the 
quotation.  Tliat  is,  'having  in  the 
former  part  of  what  was  quoted  said 
that  God  did  not  require  sacrifices,  in 
the  latter  part  he  says  that  he  came 
to  do  the  will  of  God  in  the  place  of 
them.'  ^  Sacrijice  and  offering,  and 
hurnl-offerinirs,  <!tc.  These  words  are 
not  all  used  in  the  Psalm  from  which 
the  apostle  quotes,  but  the  idea  is,  that 
the  specification   there   included  ail 


k.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


231 


9  Then  said  he,  Lo,  I  come 
to  do  thy  will,  O  God.  He 
taketh  away  the  first,  that  he 
may  establish  the  second. 

10  By  the  which  will  we  are 


kinds  of  offerings.  Tlie  apostle  dwells 
upon  it  because  it  was  important  to 
ehow  that  the  same  remark  applied  to 
all  the  sacrifices  which  could  be  offer- 
ed by  man.  When  the  Redeemer 
made  the  observation  about  the  inefli- 
cacy  of  sacrifices,  he  meant  that  there 
was  none  of  them  which  would  be 
sufficient  to  take  away  sin. 

9.  Then  said  lie.  In  another  part 
of  the  passage  quoted.  When  he  had 
said  that  no  offering  which  man  could 
make  would  avail,  then  he  said  that 
he  would  come  himself.  If  He  taketh 
aii-ay  the  first.  The  word  '■firsC  here 
refers  to  sacrifices  and  offerings.  He 
takes  them  away;  tliat  is,  he  shows 
that  they  are  of  no  value  in  removing 
sin.  He  states  their  inefficacy,  and 
declares  his  purpose  to  abolish  them. 
1  That  he  may  establish  the  second. 
To  wit,  the  doing  of  the  will  of  God. 
The  two  stand  in  contrast  with  each 
other,  and  he  shows  the  inefficacy  of 
the  former,  in  order  that  tlie  necessity 
for  his  coming  to  do  tlie  will  of  God 
may  be  fully  seen.  If  they  had  been 
efficacious,  there  would  have  been  no 
need  of  his  coming  to  make  an  atone- 
ment. 

10.  By  the  which  will.  That  is,  by 
his  obeying  God  in  the  manner  spe- 
cified. It  is  in  virtue  of  his  obedience 
that  we  are  sanctified.  The  apostle 
immediately  specifies  what  he  means, 
and  furnishes  the  key  to  his  whole 
argument,  when  he  says  that  it  was 
through  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Je- 
svs  Christ.  It  was  not  merely  his 
doing  the  will  of  God  in  general,  but 
it  was  the  specific  thing  of  offering 
his  body  in  the  place  of  the  Jewish 
sacrifices.  Comp.  Phil.  ii.  8.  What- 
ever part  his  personal  obedience  had 
in  our  salvation,  yet  the  particular 
thing  here  specified  is,  that  it  was 
his  doing  the  will  of  God  by  offering 


sanctified,  «  through  the  offer- 
ing *  of  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Clirist  once  for  all. 

11  And  every  priest  standeth 
daily  "  ministering,  and  offering 

a  Jno.  17.  19.     b  c.  9.  12.     c  Nu.  28.  3. 


himself  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin  that  was 
the  means  of  our  sanctification.  IT  We 
are  sanctified.  We  are  made  holy. 
The  word  here  is  not  confined  to  the 
specific  work  which  is  commonly 
called  sanctification — or  the  process 
of  making  the  soul  holy  after  it  is  re- 
newed, but  it  includes  everything  by 
which  wc  are  made  holy  in  the  sight 
of  God.  It  embraces,  therefore,  jus- 
tification and  regeneration  as  well  as 
what  is  commonly  known  as  sancti- 
fication. The  idea  is,  tliat  whatever 
there  is  in  our  hearts  which  is  holy, 
or  whatever  influences  are  brought  to 
bear  upon  us  to  make  us  holy,  is  all 
to  be  traced  to  the  fact  that  the  Re- 
deemer became  obedient  unto  death, 
and  was  willing  to  offer  his  body  as 
a  sacrifice  for  sin.  IF  Through  the 
offering  of  the  body.  As  a  sacrifice. 
A  body  just  adapted  to  such  a  pur- 
pose had  been  prepared  for  him.  Ver. 
5.  It  v/as  perfectly  holy ;  it  was  so 
organized  as  to  be  keenly  sensitive  to 
suffering ;  it  was  the  dwelling-place 
of  the  incarnate  Deity.  If  Once  for 
all.  In  the  sense  that  it  is  not  to  be 
offered  again.  See  Notes  on  ch.  ix.  28. 
This  idea  is  repeated  here  because  it 
was  very  important  to  be  clearly  un- 
derstood in  order  to  show  the  contrast 
between  the  offering  made  by  Christ, 
and  those  made  under  the  law.  The 
object  of  the  apostle  is  to  exalt  the 
sacrifice  made  by  him  above  those 
made  by  the  Jewish  liigh  priests. 
This  he  does  by  showing  that  such 
\\a.s  the  efficacy  of  tiic  atonement 
made  by  him  tliat  it  did  not  need  to 
be  repeated  ;  the  sacrifices  made  by 
them,  however,  were  to  be  renewed 
every  year. 

11.  And  every  priest  standeth  daily 
ministering.  That  is,  this  is  done 
every  day.  It  does  not  mean  literally 
that  every  Driest  was  daily  concerned 


232 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


oftentimes  the  same  sacrifices,  |  13  From  henceforth  expect- 
vvhichc:in  never  "take  away  sins: 
12  But  this  man,  after  he 
had  offered  one  sacrifice  for 
sins,  for  ever  sat  *  down  on  the 
right  hand  of  God  ; 

a  Ps.  50.  8-13.  la.  1.  H.  b  Co.  3.  1. 


in  offering  sacrifices,  for  they  took 
turns  according  to  their  courses, 
(Notes  on  Luke  i.  5),  but  that  this 
was  done  each  day,  and  that  every 
priest  was  to  take  his  regular  place 
in  doing  it.  Num.  xxviii.  3.  The 
object  of  the  apostle  is  to  prove  that 
under  the  Jewish  economy  sacrifices 
were  repeated  constantly,  showing 
their  imperfection,  but  that  under  the 
Christian  economy  the  great  sacrifice 
had  been  otfered  once,  which  was 
sutficient  for  all.  If  And  offering 
oftentimes  the  same  sacrifices.  The 
same  sacrifices  were  oftered  morning 
and  evening  every  day.  If  Which 
can  never  lake  away  sins.  Notes  ch. 
ix.  9;  X.  1. 

12.  But  this  man.  The  Lord  Jesus. 
The  word  man  is  not  in  the  original 
here.  The  Greek  is  literally  '  but 
this  ;'  to  wit,  this  priest.  The  apostle 
does  not  state  here  whether  he  was  a 
man,  or  a  being  of  a  higher  order. 
He  merely  mentions  him  as  a  priest 
in  contradistinction  from  the  Jewish 
priests.  IT  After  he  had  offered  one 
sacrifice  for  sins.  By  dying  on  the 
cross.  This  he  did  but  once  ;  this 
could  not  be  repeated  ;  and  need  not 
be  repeated,  for  it  was  sufficient  for 
the  sins  of  the  world.  If  For  ever  sat 
down.  That  is,  he  sat  down  then  to 
return  no  more  for  the  purpose  of 
offering  sacrifice  for  sin.  He  will  no 
more  submit  himself  to  scenes  of 
suffering  and  death  to  expiate  human 
guilt.  It  On  the  right  hand  of  God. 
See  Notes  on  Matt.  xvi.  19.  Comp. 
Notes  on  Eph.  i.  20—22. 

13.  From  henceforth  expecting.  Or 
waiting.  He  wails  there  until  this 
shall  be  accomplished  according  to 
the  promise  made  to  him  that  all 
things  shall  be  subdued  under  him. 


ing  till  his  enemies  '  be  made 
his  foot.stool. 

14  For  by  one  offering  he 
hath  ■*  perfected  for  ever  thera 
that  are  sanctified. 

c  Ps.  no.  1.  d  ver.9. 


See  Notes  on  I.  Cor.  xv.  25—27.  T 
Till  his  enemies.  There  is  an  allusion 
here  to  Ps.  ex.  1,  where  it  is  said, 
"  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit 
thou  at  my  right  hand  until  I  make  , 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool."  The 
enemies  of  the  Redeemer  are  Satan, 
the  wicked  of  the  earth,  and  all  the 
evil  passions  of  the  heart.  The  idea 
is,  that  all  things  are  yet  to  be  made 
subject  to  his  will — cither  by  a  cheer- 
ful and  cordial  submission  to  his  au- 
thority, or  by  being  crushed  beneath 
his  power.  The  Redeemer,  having 
performed  his  great  work  of  redemp- 
tion by  giving  himself  as  a  sacrifice 
on  the  cross,  is  represented  now  as 
calmly  waiting  until  this  glorious  tri- 
umph is  achieved,  and  this  promise  is 
fulfilled.  We  are  hot  to  suppose  that 
he  is  inactive,  or  that  he  takes  no 
share  in  the  agency  by  which  this  is 
to  be  done,  but  the  meaning  is,  that 
he  looks  to  the  certain  fulfilment  of 
the  promise.  If  His  footstool.  That 
is,  they  shall  be  thoroughly  and  com- 
pletely subdued.  The  same  idea  is 
expressed  in  I.  Cor.  xv.  2.'5,  by  saying 
that  all  his  enemies  shall  be  put  under 
his  feet.  The  language  arose  from 
the  custom  of  conquerors  in  putting 
their  feet  on  the  necks  of  their  ene- 
mies,  as  a  symbol  of  subjection.  See 
Josh.  X.  24.     Notes  Isa.  xxvi.  .5,  6. 

14.  For  by  one  offering.  By  offer- 
ing himself  once  on  the  cross.  The 
Jewish  priest  otfered  his  sacrifices 
often,  and  still  they  did  not  avail  to 
put  away  sin  ;  the  Saviour  made  one 
sacrifice,  and  it  was  sufficient  for  the 
sins  of  the  world.  If  Ifc  hath  perfected 
for  ever.  He  hath  laid  tlic  foundation 
of  the  eternal  perfection.  The  offer- 
ing is  of  such  a  character  that  it 
secures  their  final  freedom  from  sin. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


233 


15  Whereof  the  Holy  Ghost 
also  is  a  witness  to  us  ;  for  after 
that  he  had  said  before, 

16  This"  is  the  covenant  that 
I  will  make  with  them  after 
those  days,  saith  the  Lord  ;    I 

a  Je.  31.  33,  34. 

and  will  make  them  for  ever  holy.  It 
cannot  mean  that  those  for  whom  he 
died  are  made  at  once  perfectly  holy, 
for  that  is  not  true ;  but  the  idea  is, 
that  the  offering  was  complete,  and 
did  not  need  to  be  repeated  ;  and  that 
it  was  of  such  a  nature  as  entirely  to 
remove  the  penalty  due  to  sin,  and  to 
lay  the  foundation  for  their  final  and 
eternal  holiness.  The  offerings  made 
under  the  Jewish  law  were  so  defec- 
tive that  there  was  a  necessity  for  re- 
peating them  every  day  ;  the  offering 
made  by  the  Saviour  was  so  perfect 
that  it  needed  not  to  be  repeated,  and 
that  it  secured  the  complete  and  final 
salvation  of  those  who  availed  them- 
selves of  it.  ^  Them  that  are  sancti- 
Jied.  Those  who  are  made  holy  by 
that  offering.  It  does  not  mean  that 
they  are  as  yet  wholly  sanctified,  but 
that  tliey  have  been  brought  under 
the  influence  of  that  gospel  which 
sanctifies  and  saves.  See  ch.  ii.  11; 
ix.  13.  The  doctrine  taught  in  this 
verse  is,  that  all  those  who  are  in  any 
measure  sanctified  will  be  perfected 
for  ever.  It  is  not  a  temporary  work 
which  has  been  begun  in  their  souls, 
but  one  which  is  designed  to  be  car- 
ried forward  to  perfection.  In  the 
atonement  made  by  the  Redeemer 
there  is  the  foundation  laid  for  their 
eternal  perfection,  and  it  was  with 
reference  to  that,  that  it  was  offered. 
Respecting  this  work  and  the  conse- 
quences of  it,  we  may  remark,  that 
there  is  (1)  perfection  in  its  nature,  it 
being  of  such  a  character  that  it  needs 
not  to  be  repeated  ;  (2)  there  is  perfec- 
tion in  regard  to  the  pardon  of  sin — all 
past  sins  being  forgiven  to  those  who 
embrace  it,  and  being  for  ever  for- 
given ;  and  (3)  there  is  to  be  absolute 
perfection  for  them  for  ever.  They 
20* 


will  put  my  laws  into  their 
hearts,  and  in  their  minds  will 
I  write  them. 

17  And  '  their  sins  and  in- 
iquities will  I  remember  no 
more. 

1  Some  copies  have,  Tken  he  said,  jlnd 
their. 

icill  be  made  perfect  at  some  future 
period,  and  when  tliat  shall  take 
place  it  will  be  to  continue  for  ever 
and  ever. 

15 — 17.  Whereof  <^e  Holy  Ghost  is 
a  witness  to  us.  That  is,  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  a  proof  of  the  truth  of  the 
position  here  laid  down — that  the  one 
atonemelit  made  by  the  Redeemer 
lays  the  foundation  for  the  eternal 
perfection  of  all  who  are  sanctified. 
The  witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost  here 
referred  to,  is  that  which  is  furnished 
in  the  Scriptures,  and  not  any  wit- 
ness in  ourselves.  Paul  immediately 
makes  his  appeal  to  a  passage  of  the 
Old  Testament,  and  he  thus  shows 
his  firm  conviction  that  the  Scriptures 
were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
IT  For  after  that  he  had  said  before. 
The  apostle  here  appeals  to  a  passage 
which  he  had  before  quoted  from  Jer. 
xxxi.  33,  34.  See  it  explained  in  the 
Notes  on  cli.  viii.  8 — 12.  The  object 
of  tlie  quotation  in  both  cases  is,  to 
show  that  the  new  covenant  contern 
plated  the  formation  of  a  AoZy  charac- 
ter or  a  holy  people.  It  was  not  to 
set  apart  a  people  who  should  be  ex- 
ternally holy  only,  or  be  distinguished 
for  conformity  to  external  rites  and 
ceremonies,  but  who  should  be  holy 
in  heart  and  in  life.  There  has  been 
some  difficulty  felt  by  expositors  in 
ascertaining  what  corresponds  to  the 
expression  '  after  that  he  had  said  be- 
fore,' and  some  have  supposed  that 
the  phrase  '  tlien  he  saith'  should  be 
understood  before  ver.  17.  But  proba- 
bly tlie  apostle  means  to  refer  to  two 
distinct  parts  of  the  quotation  from 
Jeremiah,  the  former  of  which  ex- 
presses the  fact  that  God  meant  to 
make  a  new  covenant  with  his  people, 
and  the  latter  expresses  the  nature  of 


234 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


18  Now  where  remission  of 
these  is,  there  is  no  more  offer- 
ing for  sin. 

1  or,  liberty. 


tliat  covenant,  and  it  is  particularly 
to  the  latter  that  he  refers.  Tliis  is 
seen  more  distinctly  in  the  passage  in 
Jeremiah  than  it  is  in  our  translation 
of  the  quotation  in  this  epistle.  Tiie 
meaning  is  this,  'The  Holy  Ghost 
first  said,  this  is  the  covenant  that  I 
will  make  with  them  :'  and  having 
naid  this,  he  then  added,  '  After  those 
days,  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their 
hearts,  and  in  their  minds  will  I  write 
them,  and  their  sins  and  their  iniqui- 
ties  will  I  remember  no  more.'  The 
first  part  of  it  expresses  the  purpose 
to  form  such  a  covenant ;  the  latter 
states  what  that  covenant  would  be. 
The  quotation  is  not,  indeed,  literally 
made,  but  the  sense  is  retained.  Comp. 
Notes  on  ch.  viii.  8 — 12.  Still,  it  may 
be  asked,  Jiow  this  quotation  proves 
tiie  point  for  which  it  is  adduced — 
that  the  design  of  the  atonement  of 
Christ  was  '  to  perfect  for  ever  them 
that  are  sanctified  ?'  In  regard  to 
this,  we  may  observe,  (1)  that  it  was 
declared  that  those  who  were  inte- 
rested in  it  Avould  be  holy,  for  the  law 
would  be  in  their  hearts  and  written 
on  their  7ninds ;  and  (2)  that  this 
would  be  entire  and  perpetual.  Their 
sins  would  be  wholly  forgiven ;  they 
would  never  be  remembered  again — 
and  thus  they  would  be  '  perfected  for 
ever.' 

18.  Now  where  remission  of  these 
is.  Remission  or  forgiveness  of  sins; 
that  is,  of  the  sins  mentioned  in  the 
previous  verse.  If  There  is  no  more 
oJJ'ejing  for  sin.  If  those  sins  are 
■wholly  blotted  out,  there  is  no  more 
need  of  sacrifice  to  atone  for  them, 
any  more  than  tiicre  is  need  to  ])ay  a 
debt  again  which  has  been  once  paid. 
The  idea  of  Paul  is,  that  in  the  .Few- 
ish  dis|)ensation  there  was  a  constant 
rej)eating  of  the  remembrance  of  sins 
by  the  sacrifices  which  were  offered, 
but  that  in  reference  to  the  dispensa- 
tion under  the  Messiah,  sin  would  be 


19  Having  therefore,  breth- 
ren, '  boldness  to  enter  into  the 
holiest "  by  the  blood  of  Jesus. 

a  c.  9.  8,  12. 


entirely  cancelled.  There  would  be 
one  great  and  all-sufficient  sacrifice, 
and  when  there  was  faith  in  that  of- 
fering, sin  would  be  absolutely  for- 
given. If  that  was  the  case,  there 
v/ould  be  no  occasion  for  any  further 
sacrifice  for  it,  and  the  offering  need 
not  be  repeated.  This  circumstance, 
on  which  the  apostle  insists  so  much, 
made  a  very  important  difference  be- 
tween the  new  covenant  and  the  old. 
In  the  one,  sacrifices  were  offered 
every  day ;  in  the  other,  the  sacrifice 
once  made  was  final  and  complete ; 
in  the  one  case,  there  was  no  such  for- 
giveness but  that  the  offender  was 
constantly  reminded  of  his  sins  by  the 
necessity  of  the  repetition  of  sacrifice ; 
in  the  other,  the  pardon  was  so  com- 
plete that  all  dread  of  wrath  was  taken 
away,  and  the  sinner  miglit  look  up 
to  God  as  calmly  and  joyfully  as  if  he 
had  never  been  guilty  of  transgression. 
19.  Having- therefore,  brethren.  Tlie 
apostle,  in  tiiis  verse,  enters  on  the 
hortatory  part  of  his  epistle,  which 
continues  to  the  end  of  it.  He  had 
gone  into  an  extensive  examination 
of  the  Jewish  and  Christian  systems  ; 
lie  had  compared  the  Founders  of  the 
two — Moses  and  the  Son  of  God,  and 
shown  how  far  sujierior  the  latter  was 
to  the  former ;  he  had  compared  the 
Christian  Great  High  Priest  with  the 
Jewish  high  priest,  and  shown  his 
superiority;  he  had  compared  the  sa- 
crifices under  the  two  dispensations, 
and  showed  that  in  all  respects  the 
Cliristian  sacrifice  was  superior  to  the 
Jewish — that  it  was  an  offering  that 
cleansed  from  sin  ;  tliat  it  was  swffi. 
cient  when  once  offered  without  being 
repeated,  while  the  Jewish  offerings 
were  only  typical,  and  were  unable  to 
put  away  sin  ;  tmd  ho  had  shown  that 
the  great  High  Priest  of  the  Christian 
profession  had  opened  a  way  to  the 
mercy-seat  in  heaven,  and  was  liim- 
self  now  seated  tliere;   and   having 


K.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


235 


20  By  a  new  and  living  way  " 
which  he  hath  '  consecrated  for 


a  Jno.  14.  6. 


shown  this,  he  now  exhorts  Christians 
to  avail  themselves  fully  of  all  their 
advantages,  and  to  enjoy  to  the  widest 
extent  all  the  privileges  now  conferred 
on  them.  One  of  the  first  of  these 
benefits  was,  that  they  had  now  free 
access  to  the  mercy-seat.  ^  Boldness 
to  enter  into  the  holiest.  Marg.  liberty. 
The  word  rendered  boldness — -na^lniaiav 
— properly  means  boldness  of  speech,  or 
freedom  where  one  speaks  all  that  he 
thinks  (Notes,  Acts  iv.  13) ;  and  then 
it  means  boldness  in  general,  license, 
authority,  pardon.  Here  the  idea  is, 
that  before  Christ  died  and  entered 
into  heaven,  there  was  no  such  access 
to  the  throne  of  grace  as  man  needed. 
Man  had  no  offering  which  he  could 
bring  that  would  make  him  accept- 
able to  God.  But  now  the  way  was 
open.  Access  was  free  for  all,  and 
all  might  come  with  the  utmost  free- 
dom. The  word  holiest  here  is  taken 
from  the  holy  of  holies  in  the  temple 
(Notes  on  ch.  ix.  3),  and  is  there  ap- 
plied  to  heaven,  of  which  that  was 
the  emblem.  The  entrance  into  the 
most  holy  place  was  forbidden  to  all 
but  the  high  priest ;  but  now  access 
to  tlie  real '  holy  of  holies'  was  granted 
to  all  in  the  name  of  the  great  Higli 
Priest  of  the  Christian  profession. 
If  By  the  blood  of  Jesus.  The  blood 
of  Jesus  is  the  means  by  which  this 
access  to  heaven  is  procured.  The 
Jewish  high  priest  entered  the  holy 
of  holies  with  the  blood  of  bullocks 
and  of  rams  (Notes  ch.  ix.  7.) ;  but  the 
Saviour  offered  his  own  blood,  and 
that  became  the  means  by  which  we 
may  have  access  to  God. 

20.  By  a  neio  and  living  loay.  By 
a  new  method  or  manner.  It  was  a 
mode  of  access  that  was  till  then  un- 
known. No  doubt  many  were  saved 
before  the  Redeemer  came,  but  the 
method  by  which  they  approached 
God  was  imperfect  and  difficult.  The 
word  which  is  here  rendered  new — 
■Kp6cipaTov — occurs  nowhere  else  in  the 
New  Testament.     It  properly  means 


us  through  the  veil,  that  is  to 

say,  his  flesh  ; 


or,  new-made. 


slain,  or  killed  thereto;  i.  e.  newly 
killed,  just  dead  ;  and  then  fresh,  re- 
cent. Fassow.  It  does  not  so  much 
convey  the  idea  that  it  is  neio  in  the 
sense  that  it  had  never  existed  before, 
as  new  in  the  sense  that  it  is  recent, 
or  fresh.  It  was  a  way  which  was 
recently  disclosed,  and  which  had  all 
the  freshness  of  novelty.  It  is  called 
a  '  living  way,'  because  it  is  a  method 
that  imparts  life,  or  because  it  leads 
to  life  and  happiness.  Doddridge  ren- 
ders it  '  ever-living  way,^  and  sup. 
poses,  in  accordance  with  the  opinion 
of  Dr.  Owen,  that  the  allusion  is  to 
the  fact  that  underthe  old  dispensa- 
tion the  blood  was  to  be  offered  as 
soon  as  it  was  shed,  and  that  it  could 
not  be  offered  when  it  was  cold  and 
coagulated.  The  way  by  Christ  was, 
however,  always  open.  His  blood 
was,  as  it  were,  always  warm,  and  as 
if  it  had  been  recently  shed.  This 
interpretation  seems  to  derive  some 
support  from  the  word  which  is  ren- 
dered  'new.'  See  above.  The  word 
living,  also,  has  often  the  sense  of 
perennial,  or  perpetual,  as  when  ap- 
plied to  a  fountain  always  running,  in 
opposition  to  a  pool  that  dries  up  (see 
Notes  on  John  iv.  10),  and  the  new 
way  to  heaven  may  be  called  livmg 
in  all  these  respects.  It  is  a  way  that 
conducts  to  life.  It  is  ever-living — as 
if  the  blood  which  was  shed  always 
retained  the  freshness  of  that  which 
is  flowing  from  the  vein.  And  it  is 
perpetual  and  constant — like  a  foun. 
tain  that  always  flows — for  it  is  by  a 
sacrifice  whose  power  is  perpetual 
and  unchanging.  IT  Which  he  hath 
consecrated  for  vs.  Marg.  '  or  new 
made.''  The  word  here  used  means 
properly  to  renew,  and  then  to  initiate, 
to  consecrate,  to  sanction.  The  idea 
is,  that  he  has  dedicated  this  way  for 
our  use ;  as  if  a  temple  or  house  were 
set  apart  for  our  service.  It  is  a  path 
consecrated  by  him  for  the  service 
and  salvation  of  man ;  a  way  of  access 
to  the  eternal  sanctuary  for  the  sinner 


236 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4 


21  And  having  an  high  priest 
over  the  liouse  of  God  ; 

22  Let  us  draw  near  with  a 
true    heart,   in  ''  full  assurance 

a  c.  4.  14-16.  b  Ep.  3. 12. 

which  lias  been  set  apart  by  the  Re- 
deemer for  tliis  service  alone.  If  T/troufrh 
the  veil,  llial  is  to  say,  hisjlesh.  The 
Jewish  high  priest  entered  into  the 
most  holy  place  through  the  veil  that 
divided  the  holy  from  the  most  holy 
place.  That  entrance  was  made  by 
his  drawing  the  veil  aside,  and  thus 
the  interior  sanctuary  was  laid  open. 
But  there  has  been  much  difficulty 
felt  in  regard  to  the  sense  of  the  ex- 
pression here  used.  The  plain  mean- 
ing of  the  expression  is,  that  the  way 
to  lieaven  was  opened  by  means,  or 
through  the  medium  of  the  flesh  of 
Jesus  ;  that  is,  of  his  body  sacrificed 
for  sin,  as  the  most  holy  place  in  the 
temple  was  entered  by  means  or 
through  tlie  medium  of  the  veil.  We 
are  not  to  suppose,  however,  that  the 
apostle  meant  to  say  that  there  was 
in  all  respects  a  rcsemblunce  between 
the  veil  and  the  flesh  of  Jesus,  nor 
that  the  veil  was  in  any  manner  ty])i- 
cal  of  his  body,  but  there  was  a  resem- 
blance in  the  respect  under  considera- 
tion— to  wit,  in  the  fact  that  the  holy 
place  was  rendered  accessible  by  witli- 
drawing  the  veil,  and  that  heaven  was 
rendered  accessible  through  the  slain 
body  of  Jesus.  The  idea  is,  that  there 
is  by  means  both  of  the  veil  of  the 
temple,  and  of  the  body  of  Jesus,  a 
medium  of  access  to  God.  God  dwelt 
in  the  most  lioly  place  in  the  temple 
behind  tlic  veil  by  visible  symbols, 
and  was  to  be  approached  by  remov- 
ing the  veil ;  and  God  dwells  in  hea- 
ven, in  the  most  holy  place  there,  and 
is  to  be  approached  only  through  the 
offering  of  the  body  of  Christ.  Prof. 
Stuart  supposes  that  the  point  of  the 
comparison  may  be,  that  liie  veil  of 
the  temple  operated  as  a  screen  to 
hide  the  visible  symbol  of  the  presence 
of  God  from  human  view,  and  that  in 
like  manner  tlie  body  of  Jesus  migiit 
bo  regarded  as  a  "  kind  of  temporary 


of  faith,  having  our  hearts  sprin- 
kled "^  from  an  evil  conscience, 
and  our  bodies  washed  with 
pure  water. 

e  Eze.  36.  j25. 

tabernacle,  or  veil  of  the  divine  nature 
wliich  dwelt  within  him,"  and  that 
"  as  the  veil  of  the  tabernacle  con- 
cealed the  glory  of  Jehovah  in  the 
holy  of  holies,  from  the  view  of  men, 
so  Christ's  flesh  or  body  screened  or 
concealed  the  liighcr  nature  from  our 
view,  which  dwelt  within  this  veil,  as 
God  did  of  old  witiiin  the  veil  of  the 
temple."  Sec  tliis  and  otlicr  views 
explained  at  length  in  the  larger  com- 
mentaries. It  does  not  seem  to  me 
to  be  necessary  to  attempt  to  carry 
out  the  point  of  the  comparison  in  all 
respects.  The  simple  idea  which 
seems  to  have  been  in  the  n^ind  of 
the  apostle  was,  that  the  veil  of  the 
temple,  and  the  body  of  Jesus  were 
alike  in  this  respect,  that  they  were 
the  medium  of  access  to  God.  It  is 
by  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus ; 
by  the  fact  that  he  was  clothed  with 
flesh,  and  that  in  his  body  he  made 
an  atonement  for  sin,  and  that  with 
his  body  raised  up  from  the  dead  he 
has  ascended  to  heaven,  that  wc  have 
access  now  to  the  throne  of  mercy. 

21.  And  having  an  High  Priest 
over  the  house  of  God.  Over  the  spir- 
itual house  of  God ;  that  is,  the  church. 
Comp.  Notes  on  ch.  iii.  I — 6.  Under 
tlie  Jewish  dispensation  there  was  a 
great  high  priest,  and  the  same  is  true 
under  the  Christian  dispensation. 
This  the  apostle  had  shown  at  length 
in  the  previous  part  of  the  epistle. 
The  idea  here  is,  that  as  under  the 
former  dispensation  it  was  regarded 
as  a  privilege  that  the  people  of  God 
might  have  access  to  the  mercy-seat 
by  means  of  the  high  priest ;  so  it 
is  true  in  a  much  higher  sense  that 
wc  may  now  have  access  to  God 
througii  our  greater  and  more  glori- 
ous iiigh  Priest. 

22.  Let  us  draw  near  with  a  true 
heart.  In  prayer  and  praise  ;  in  every 
act  of  coatidcnce  and  of  worship.    A 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


S3? 


eincere  heart  was  required  under  the 
ancient  dispensation ;  it  is  always 
demanded  of  men  when  they  draw 
near  to  God  to  worship  him.  See 
John  iv.  23,  24.  Every  form  of  reli- 
gion which  God  has  revealed  requires 
the  worshippers  to  come  with  pure 
and  holy  hearts.  If  In  full  assurance 
of  faith.  See  the  word  here  used  ex- 
plained in  the  Notes  on  ch.  vi.  11. 
The  'full  assurance  of  faith'  means 
unwavering  confidence  ;  a  fullness  of 
faith  in  God  which  leaves  no  room 
for  doubt.  Christians  are  permitted 
to  come  tims  because  God  has  reveal- 
ed himself  through  the  Redeemer  as 
in  every  way  deserving  their  fullest 
confidence.  No  one  approaches  God 
in  an  acceptable  manner  who  does 
not  come  to  him  in  this  manner. 
What  parent  would  feel  that  a  child 
came  with  any  right  feelings  to  ask 
a  favour  of  him  who  had  not  the 
fullest  confidence  in  him  ?  If  Having 
our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  con- 
science. By  the  blood  of  Jesus.  This 
was  fitted  to  make  the  conscience 
pure.  The  Jewish  cleansing  or  sprink- 
ling with  blood  related  only  to  that 
which  was  external,  and  could  not 
make  the  conscience  perfect  (ch.  ix. 
9),  but  the  sacrifice  ofi'ered  by  the 
Saviour  was  designed  to  give  peace 
to  the  troubled  mind,  and  to  make  it 
pure  and  holy.  An  '  evil  conscience' 
is  a  consciousness  of  evil,  or  a  con- 
science oppressed  with  sin  ;  tliat  is  a 
conscience  that  accuses  of  guilt.  We 
are  made  free  from  such  a  conscience 
through  the  atonement  of  Jesus,  not 
because  we  become  convinced  that 
we  have  not  committed  sin,  and  not 
because  we  are  led  to  suppose  that 
our  sins  are  less  than  we  had  other- 
wise supposed — for  the  reverse  of  both 
these  is  true — but  because  our  sins 
are  forgiven,  and  since  they  are  freely 
pardoned  they  no  longer  produce  re- 
morse and  the  fear  of  fiiturc  wrath. 
A  child  that  has  been  forgiven  may 
feel  that  he  has  done  very  wrong,  but 
still  he  will  not  be  then  overpowered 
with  distress  in  view  of  his  guilt,  or 
with  the  apprehension  of  punishment. 
IT  And  our  bodies  washed  with  pure 


water.  It  was  common  for  the  Jews 
to  wash  themselves,  or  to  perform  va- 
rious ablutions  in  tlieir  services.  See 
Ex.  xxix.  4;  xxx.  19—21;  xl.  12; 
Lev.  vi.  27 ;  xiii.  54.  .58 ;  xiv.  8,  9  ; 
XV.  16;  xvi.  4.  24;  xxii.  6.  Comp. 
Notes  on  Mark  vii.  .3.  The  same 
thing  was  also  true  among  the  hea- 
then. There  was  usually,  at  the  en- 
trance  of  their  temples,  a  vessel  placed 
with  consecrated  water,  in  which,  as 
Pliny  says  (Hist.  Nat.  Lib.  xv.  c.  30), 
there  was  a  branch  of  laurel  placed 
with  which  the  priests  sprinkled  all 
who  approached  for  worship.  It  was 
necessary  that  this  water  should  be 
pure,  and  it  was  drawn  fresh  from 
wells  or  fountains  for  the  purpose. 
Water  from  pools  and  ponds  was  re- 
garded as  unsuitable,  as  was  also  even 
the  purest  water  of  the  fountain,  if  it 
had  stood  long.  jEneas  sprinkled  him- 
self in  this  manner,  as  he  was  about 
to  enter  the  invisible  world  (^n.  vi. 
635),  with  fresh  water.  Porphyry 
says  that  the  Essenes  were  accustom- 
ed  to  cleanse  themselves  with  the 
purest  water.  Thus  Ezekiel  also  says, 
"  Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water 
upon  you,  and  you  shall  be  clean." 
Sea-water  was  usually  regarded  as 
best  adapted  to  this  purpose,  as  the 
salt  was  supposed  to  have  a  cleansing 
property.  The  Jews  who  dwelt  near 
the  sea,  were  thence  accustomed,  as 
Aristides  says,  to  wash  their  hands 
every  morning  on  this  account  in  the 
sea-water.  Potter's  Gr.  Archae.  i. 
222.  Rosenmiiller,  Alte  und  Neue 
Morgenland,  in  loc.  It  was  from  the 
lieathen  custom  of  placing  a  vessel 
with  consecrated  water  at  the  en- 
trance of  their  temples,  that  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  custom  is  derived  in 
their  churches  ''of  placing  '  holy  wa- 
ter' near  the  door,  that  those  who  wor- 
ship there  may  '  cross  themselves.'  In 
accordance  with  the  Jewish  custom, 
the  apostle  says,  that  it  was  proper 
that  under  the  Christian  dispensation 
we  sliould  approach  God  having  per- 
formed an  act  emblematic  of  purity 
by  the  application  of  water  to  the 
body.  That  there  is  an  allusion  to 
baptism  is  clear.   The  apostle  is  com- 


238 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


23  Let  us  hold  fast  the  pro- 
fession  of  our  faith  without  wa- 


paring  the  two  dispensations,  and  his 
aim  is  to  sliow  that  in  the  Christian 
dispensation  there  was  everything 
whieh  was  regarded  as  valuable  and 
important  in  tlie  old.  So  he  had  shown 
it  to  have  been  in  regard  to  the  fact 
that  there  was  a  Lawgiver  ;  that  there 
was  a  great  High  Priest;  and  that 
there  were  saeriHces  and  ordinances 
of  religion  in  tlie  Christian  dispensa- 
tion as  well  as  the  Jewish.  In  regard 
to  each  of  these,  he  had  shown  that 
they  existed  in  the  Christian  religion 
in  a  much  more  valuable  and  important 
sense  than  under  the  ancient  dispen- 
sation. In  like  manner  it  was  true, 
that  as  they  were  required  to  come  to 
the  service  of  God,  iiaving  performed 
various  ablutions  to  keep  tliQ.  body 
pure,  so  it  was  with  Christians.  Wa- 
ter was  applied  to  the  Jews  as  em- 
blcrmatic  of  purity,  and  Christians 
came,  having  liad  it  applied  to  them 
also  in  baptism,  as  a  symbol  of  holi- 
ness. It  is  not  necessary,  in  order 
to  see  the  force  of  this,  to  suppose 
that  water  had  been  applied  to  the 
whole  of  the  body,  or  that  they  had 
been  completely  immersed,  for  all  the 
force  of  the  reasoning  is  retained  by 
the  supposition  that  it  was  a  mere 
symbol  or  emblem  of  purification.  The 
whole  stress  of  the  argument  here 
turns,  not  on  the  fact  that  the  body 
had  been  washed  all  over,  but  that  the 
worshipper  had  been  qualified  for_thc 
spiritual  service  -of  the  Most  High  in 
connexion  with  an  appropriate  emble- 
matic ceremony.  The  quantity  of 
water  used  for  this  is'  not  a  material 
point,  any  more  tiian  tlic  quantity  of 
oil  was  in  the  ceremony  of  inaugu- 
rating kings  and  priests.  This  was 
not  done  in  the  Christian  dispensa- 
tion by  washing  the  body  frequently, 
as  in  the  ancient  system,  nor  even 
necessarily  by  washing  the  whole  body 
— whieh  would  no  more  contribute  to 
the  purity  of  the  heart  than  by  appli- 
cation of  water  to  any  part  of  tiic 


vering  ;  (for  he  "  is  faithful  that 
promised ;) 

a  1  Til.  5.  24. 

body,  but  by  the  fact  that  water  had 
been  used  as  emblematic  of  the  puri- 
fying of  the  soul.  The  passage  be- 
fore us  proves,  undoubtedly,  (1)  that 
water  should  be  applied  under  the 
new  dispensation  as  an  ordinance  of 
religion ;  and  (2)  that  jmre  water 
should  be  used  —  for  tliat  only  is  a 
proper  emblem  of  the  purity  of  the 
heart. 

23.  Let  us  hold  fast  the  profession 
of  our  faith  without  wavering.  To 
secure  this  was  one  of  the  leading 
designs  of  tins  epistle,  and  hence  the 
apostle  adverts  to  it  so  frequently.  It 
is  evident  that  those  to  whom  he  wrote 
were  suflVring  persecution  (ch.  .\ii.), 
and  tliat  there  was  great  danger  that 
they  would  apostatize.  As  these  per- 
secutions came  probably  from  the 
Jews,  and  as  the  aim  was  to  induce 
them  to  return  to  their  former  opin 
ions,  the  object  of  the  apostle  is  to 
show  that  there  was  in  the  Christian 
scheme  every  advantage  of  which  the 
Jews  could  boast ;  everything  pertain- 
ing to  the  dignity  of  tlie  great  Found, 
er  of  the  system,  the  character  of  the 
High  Priest,  and  the  nature  and  value 
of  the  sacrifices  olTered,  and  that  all 
this  was  possessed  far  more  abun- 
dantly  in  the  permanent  Cliristian 
system  than  in  that  whieh  was  typical 
in  its  character,  and  which  were  de- 
signed soon  to  vanish  away.  In  view 
of  all  this,  therefore,  the  apostle  adds 
that  they  should  hold  fast  the  profes- 
sion of  their  faith  without  being  sha- 
ken by  their  trials,  or  by  tiie  argu- 
ments of  their  enemies.  VVie  have  the 
same  inducement  to  hold  fast  the  pro- 
fession of  our  faith — for  it  is  the  same 
religion  still ;  we  have  the  same  Sa- 
viour, and  there  is  held  out  to  us  still 
the  same  prospect  of  heaven.  IT  For 
he  is  faithful  that  promised.  To  in- 
duce them  to  hold  fast  their  profes- 
sion, the  apostle  adds  this  additional 
consideration.  God,  who  had  pro- 
raised  eternal  life  to  them,  was  faitii- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


2.39 


24  And  let  us  consider  one 
another,  to  provoke  unto  love 
and  to  good  works  : 

ful  to  all  that  he  had  said.  The  ar- 
gument here  is,  (1.)  That  since  God 
is  so  faithful  to  us,  we  ought  to  be 
faithful  to  him.  (2.)  The  fact  that 
he  is  faithful  is  an,  encouragement  to 
us.  We  are  dependent  on  him  for 
grace  to  hold  fast  our  profession.  If 
he  were  to  prove  unfaithful,  we  should 
have  no  strength  to  do  it.  But  this  he 
never  does ;  and  we  may  be  assured 
that  all  that  he  has  promised  he  will 
perform.  To  the  service  of  such  a 
God,  therefore,  we  should  adhere  with- 
out wavering.  Comp.  Notes  on  I. 
Cor.  X.  13. 

24.  And  let  us  consider  one  another. 
Let  us  so  regard  the  welfare  of  others 
as  to  endeavour  to  excite  them  to  per- 
severe in  the  Christian  life.  The  idea 
is,  that  much  might  be  done  in  secur- 
ing perseverance  and  fidelity  by  mu- 
tual, kind  exhortation.  They  were 
not  to  be  selfish  ;  they  were  not  to  re. 
gard  their  own  interests  only  (Notes 
Phil.  ii.  4) ;  they  were  to  have  a  kind 
sympathy  in  the  concerns  of  each 
other.  They  had,  as  Christians  have 
now,  the  same  duties  to  perform,  and 
the  same  trials  to  meet,  and  they 
should  strengthen  each  other  in  their 
trials  and  encourage  tliem  in  their 
work.  IT  To  provoke  unto  love.  We 
use  the  word  provoke  now  in  a  some- 
what different  sense  as  meaning  to 
offend,  to  irritate,  to  incense  ;  but  its 
original  meaning  is  to  arouse,  to  ex. 
cite,  to  call  into  action,  and  it  is  used 
in  this  sense  here..  The  Greek  is, 
literally,  '  unto  a  paroxysm  of  love' — 
£(s  napo^vandv  ;  —  the  Word  paroxysm 
meaning  excitement  or  impulse,  and 
the  idea  is,  that  they  were  to  endea- 
vour to  arouse  or  excite  each  other  to 
the  manifestation  of  love.  The  word 
is  that  which  properly  expresses  ex- 
citement, and  means  that  Christians 
should  endeavour  to  excite  each  other. 
Men  are  sometimes  afraid  of  excite- 
ment in  religion.  But  there  is  no  dan- 
ger that  Christians  will  ever  be  excited 


25  Not  forsaking  the  assem- 
bling of  ourselves  together,  as 
the    manner    of  some    is;  but 


toJove  each  other  too  much,  or  to  per- 
form too  many  good  works. 

25.  Not  forsaking  the  assembling 
of  ourselves  together.  That  is,  for  pur- 
poses of  public  worship.  Some  expo- 
sitors have  understood  the  word  here 
rendered  assembling  —  i:navvayu>y>)ii — 
as  meaning  the  society  of  Christians, 
or  the  church ;  and  they  have  sup- 
posed that  the  object  of  the  apostle 
here  is,  to  exhort  them  not  to  aposta. 
tize  from  the  church.  The  arguments 
for  this  opinion  may  be  seen  at  length 
in  Kuinoel,  in  loc.  But  the  more 
obvious  interpretation  is  that  which 
is  commonly  adopted,  that  it  refers 
to  public  worship.  The  Greek  word 
(the  noun)  is  used  nowhere  else  in 
the  New  Testament,  except  in  II. 
Thess.  ii.  1,  where  it  is  rendered  ga. 
thering  together.  The  verb  is  used 
in  Matt,  xxiii.  37 ;  xxiv.  31  ;  Mark  i, 
33  ;  xiii.  27  ;  Luke  xii,  1 ;  xiii.  34,  iu 
all  which  places  it  is  rendered  gather- 
ed together.  It  properly  means  an 
act  of  assembling,  or  a  gathering  to- 
gelher,  and  is  nowhere  used  in  the 
New  Testament  in  the  sense  of  an 
assembly,  or  the  church.  The  com- 
mand, then,  here  is,  to  7neet  together 
for  the  worship  of  God,  and  it  is  en- 
joined on  Christians  as  an  important 
duty  to  do  it.  It  is  implied,  also, 
that  there  is  blame  or  fault  where  this 
is  'neglected.'  IT  As  the  manner  of 
some  is.  Why  those  here  referred  to 
neglected  public  worship,  is  not  spe- 
cified.  It  may  have  been  from  suck 
causes  as  the  following.  (1.)  Some 
may  have  been  deterred  by  tlie  fear 
of  persecution,  as  those  who  were 
thus  assembled  would  be  more  expos- 
ed to  danger  than  others.  (2.)  Some 
may  have  neglected  the  duty  because 
they  felt  no  interest  in  it — as  profess, 
ing  Christians  now  sometimes  do.  (3.) 
It  is  possible  that  some  may  have  had 
doubts  about  the  necessitj^  and  pro- 
priety of  this  duty,  and  on  that  ac- 
count may  have  neglected  it.   (4.)  Or 


240 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  Gl 


exhorting  one  another:  and  so 

a  Ro.  13.  H. 

it  may  perhaps  liavc  been,  though  we 
can  hardly  suppose  that  this  reason 
existed,  that  some  may  have  negleot- 
ed  it  from  a  cause  which  now  some- 
times operates — from  dissatisfaction 
with  a  preaclier,  or  with  some  mem- 
ber or  members  of  the  church,  or 
witli  some  measure  in  the  clmrch. 
Wiiatever  were  the  reasons,  the  apos- 
tic  says  that  they  should  not  be  allow- 
ed to  operate,  but  that  Christians 
should  regard  it  as  a  sacred  duty  to 
meet  together  for  the  worship  of  God. 
None  of  the  causes  above  suggested 
should  deter  men  from  this  duty. 
With  all  who  bear  the  Christian  name ; 
with  all  who  expect  to  make  advances 
in  piety  and  religious  knowledge,  it 
should  be  regarded  as  a  sacred  duty 
to  assemble  together  for  public  wor- 
shij).  Religion  is  social ;  and  our 
graces  are  to  be  strengthened  and  in- 
vigorated by  waiting  together  on  the 
Lord.  There  is  an  obvious  propriety 
that  men  should  assemble  together 
for  the  worsJiip  of  the  Most  High, 
and  no  Christian  can  hope  that  iiis 
graces  will  grow,  or  that  he  can  per- 
Ibrm  his  duty  to  his  Maker,  without 
uniting  thus  with  those  who  love  the 
service  of  God.  ^  But  exhorting  one 
another.  That  is,  in  your  assembling 
together  —  a  direction  which  proves 
that  it  is  proper  for  Christians  to  ex- 
hort one  another  when  they  are  ga- 
thered together  for  public  worship. 
Indeed  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
the  preaching  in  the  early  Christian 
assemblies  partook  much  of  the  char- 
acter of  mutual  exhortation.  IT  And 
so  much  the  more  as  ye  see  the  day 
approaching.  The  term  '  day'  here 
refers  to  some  event  which  was  cer- 
tainly anticipated,  and  which  was  so 
well  understood  by  them  that  no  par- 
ticular explanation  was  necessary.  It 
was  also  some  event  that  was  expect- 
-ed  soon  to  occur,  and  in  relation  to 
which  there  were  indications  then  of 
its  speedily  arriving.  If  it  had  not 
been  something  which  was  expected 
soon  to   happen,  the   apostle   would 


much  the  more  as  "  ye  see  the 
day  approaching. 

have  gone  into  a  more  full  explana- 
tion of  it,  and  would  have  stated  at 
length  what  these  indications  were. 
There  has  been  some  diversity  of 
opinion  about  what  is  here  referred 
to,  many  conmientators  supposing  that 
the  reference  is  to  the  anticipated  se- 
cond coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  set 
up  a  visible  kingdom  on  the  earth ; 
and  others  to  the  fact  that  the  period 
was  approaching  when  Jerusalem  was 
to  be  destroyed,  and  when  the  ser- 
vices of  the  temple  were  to  cease.  So 
far  as  the  language  is  concerned,  the 
reference  might  be  to  either  event,  for 
the  word  a  '  day'  is  applied  to  both 
in  the  New  Testament.  The  word 
would  properly  be  understood  as  re. 
ferring  to  an  expected  period  when 
something  remarkable  was  to  happen 
which  ought  to  have  an  important 
influence  on  their  character  and  con- 
duct. In  support  of  the  opinion  that 
it  refers  to  the  approaching  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  and  not  to  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  set  up  a  visi- 
ble kingdom,  we  may  adduce  the  fol. 
lowing  considerations.  (L)  The  term 
used — 'day'  —  will  as  properly  refer 
to  that  event  as  to  any  other.  It  is  a 
word  which  would  be  likely  to  sug- 
gest the  idea  of  distress,  calamity,  or 
judgment  of  some  kind,  for  so  it  is 
often  used  in  the  Scriptures.  Comp. 
Ps.  xxvii.  13;  I.  Sam.  xxvi.  10;  Jer. 
XXX.  7 ;  Ezek.  xxi.  5 ;  Notes  Isa.  ii. 
12.  (2.)  Such  a  period  was  distinctly 
predicted  by  the  Saviour,  and  the  in- 
dications which  would  precede  it  were 
clearly  pointed  out.  See  Matt,  xxi  v. 
That  event  was  then  so  near  that 
the  Saviour  said  that  '  that  generation 
would  not  pass'  until  the  prediction 
had  been  fulfilled.  Matt,  xxiv,  34. 
(3.)  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was 
an  event  of  great  importance  to  the 
Hebrews,  and  to  the  Hebrew  Chris, 
tians  to  whom  this  epistle  was  di- 
rected, and  it  might  be  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  apostle  Paul  would 
refer  to  it.  (4.)  It  is  not  improbable 
that  at  the  time  of  writing  this  epis* 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


241 


26  For  if  *  we  sin    wilfully 
after  that  we  have  received  the 

a  Nu.  15.  30.  c.  6.  4.  &c 

tie  there  were  indications  that  that 
day  was  approacliing-.  Those  indi- 
cations were  of  so  marked  a  charac- 
ter that  when  the  time  approached 
they  could  not  well  be  mistaken  (see 
Matt.  xxiv.  6—12.  24.  26),  and  it  is 
probable  that  they  had  already  begun 
to  appear.  (5.)  There  were  no  sucli 
indications  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was 
about  to  appear  to  set  up  a  visible 
kingdom .  It  was  not  a  fact  that  tliat 
was  about  to  occur,  as  the  result  has 
shown ;  nor  is  there  any  positive 
proof  that  the  mass  of  Cliristians 
were  expecting-  it,  and  no  reason  to 
believe  that  the  apostle  Paul  had  any 
such  expectation.  See  II.  Thess.  ii. 
1 — 5.  (6.)  The  expectation  that  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  was  refer- 
red to,  and  was  about  to  occur,  was 
just  that  which  might  be  expected  to 
produce  the  effect  on  the  minds  of  the 
Hebrew  Christians  which  the  apostle 
here  refers  to.  It  was  to  be  a  solemn 
and  fearful  event.  It  would  be  a  re- 
markable manifestation  of  God.  It 
would  break  up  the  civil  and  ecclesi- 
astical polity  of  the  nation,  and  would 
scatter  them  abroad.  It  would  re- 
quire all  the  exercise  of  their  patience 
and  faith  in  passing  through  these 
scenes.  It  might  be  expected  to  be  a 
time  when  many  would  be  tempted  to 
apostatize,  and  it  was  proper,  there- 
fore, to  exhort  them  to  meet  together, 
and  to  strengthen  and  encourage  each 
ether  as  they  saw  that  that  event  was 
di  awing  near.  The  argument  then 
would  be  this.  The  danger  against 
which  the  apostle  desired  to  guard 
those  to  whom  he  was  writing  was, 
that  of  apostasy  from  Christianity  to 
Judaism.  To  preserve  them  from 
this,  he  urges  the  fact  that  the  down- 
fall of  Judaism  was  near,  and  that 
every  indication  which  they  saw  of 
its  approach  ought  to  be  allowed  to 
influence  them,  and  to  guard  them 
fr'im  that,  danger.  It  is  for  reasons 
such  as  these  that  I  suppose  the  rcfcr- 
21 


knowledge  of  the  truth,  there 
remaineth  no  more  sacrifice  for 
sins, 

ence  here  is  not  to  the  '  second  ad- 
vent' of  the  Redeemer,  but  to  the  ap- 
proaching destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
At  the  same  time,  it  is  not  improper 
to  use  this  passage  as  an  exhortation 
to  Christians  to  fidelity  when  they 
shall  see  that  the  end  of  the  world 
draws  nigh,  and  when  they  shall  per- 
ceive indications  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
is  about  to  come.  And  so  of  death. 
We  shotild  be  the  more  diligent  when 
we  see  the  indications  that  the  great 
Messenger  is  about  to  come  to  sum- 
mon us  into  the  presence  of  our  final 
Judge.  And  who  does  not  know  that 
he  is  approaching  him  with  silent  and 
steady  footsteps,  and  that  even  now 
he  may  be  very  near  ?  Who  can  fail 
to  see  in  himself  indications  that  the 
time  approaches  when  he  must  lie 
down  and  die  ?  Every  pang  that  we 
suffer  should  remind  us  of  this  ;  and 
when  the  hair  changes  its  hue,  and 
time  makes  furrows  in  the  cheek,  and 
the  limbs  become  feeble,  we  should 
regard  them  as  premonitions  that  he 
is  coming,  and  should  be  more  dili- 
gent as  we  see  that  he  is  drawing 
near. 

26.  For  if  we  sin  wilfully  after  that 
we  have  received  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  If  after  we  are  converted  and 
become  true  Christians  we  should 
apostatize,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
be  recovered  again,  for  there  would 
be  no  other  sacrifice  for  sin ;  no  way 
by  which  we  could  be  saved.  This 
passage,  however,  like  ch.  vi.  4 — 6, 
has  given  rise  to  much  difference 
of  opinion.  But  that  the  above  is 
the  correct  interpretation,  seems  evi- 
dent to  me  from  the  following  con- 
siderations. (I.)  It  is  the  natural 
and  obvious  interpretation,  such  as 
v\'ould  occur  probably  to  ninety-nine 
readers  in  a  Imndred,  if  there  were  no 
theory  to  support,  and  no  fear  that  it 
would  conflict  with  some  other  doc- 
trine. (2.)  It  accords  with  the  scope 
of  the  epistle,  which  is,  to  keep  those 


243 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


whom  the  apostle  adtlrcsscd  from  re- 
turning  again  to  the  Jewish  religion, 
under  the  trials  to  which  they  were 
Bubjcetcd.      (3.)   It  is  in   accordance 
with  the  fair  meaning  of  the  language 
— the  words  'after  that  we  have  re- 
ceived tiic  knowledge  of  the  truth,' 
referring  more  naturally  to  true  con- 
version than  to   any   other   state   of 
mind.     (4.)  The  sentiment  would  not 
be  correct  if  it  referred   to   any  but 
realCiiristians.     It  would  not  be  true 
that  one  who  had  been  somewhat  en- 
lightened,  and  who  then  sinned  '  wiU 
fully,'  nmst  look  on  fearfully  to  the 
judgment    without    a   possibility    of 
being  saved.     There   are   multitudes 
of  cases  wliere  such  ]X'rsons«>e  saved. 
They  wilfully  resist  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
they  strive  against  him ;  they  for  a 
long  time  refuse  to  yield,  but  they  are 
brought  again  to  reflection,  and  are 
led  to  give  their  hearts  to  God.  (5.)  It 
is  true,  and  always  will  be  true,  that 
if  a  sincere  Christian   should    apos- 
tatize   he   could    never   he  converted 
again.     See  Notes  on  ch.  vi.  4 — 6. 
The  reasons  are  obvious.     He  would 
have  tried  the  only  plan  of  salvation, 
and  it  would  have  failed.     He  would 
have  embraced  tiie  Saviour,  and  there 
would  not  have  been  eliieaey  enough 
in  his  blood  to  keep  him,  and   there 
would  be  no  more  powerful  Saviour 
and  no  more  efficacious  blood  of  atone- 
ment.   He  would  have  renounced  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  would  have   shown 
tha»  his  influences  were  not  eflfectual 
to  keep  liim,  and  there  would  be  no 
other  agent  of  greater  power  to  renew 
and  save  him  after  he  had  apostatized. 
For  these  reasons  it  seems  clear  to 
me   that  this  passage  refers  to  true 
Christians,  and  that  the  doctrine  here 
taught  is,  that  il"  such  an  one  should 
apostatize,  he  must  look  forward  only 
to  the  terrors  of  the  judgment,  and  to 
final  condemnation.    Whether  tliis  in 
fact  ever    occurs,    is   quite    another 
question.     In  regard  to  that  inquiry, 
see  Notes   on  ch.  vi.   4 — 6.     If  this 
view  be  correct,  we  may  add,  that  the 
passage   should    not  be  regarded  as 
applying  to  what  is  commonly  known 
as  the  '  sin  ngainst  tJ»e  Holy  Ghost,' 


or  '  the  unpnrdonablc  sin.'    The  word 
rendered  '  wilfully' — tKovaiuii — occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament, 
except  in  I.  Pet.  v.  2,  where  it  is  ren- 
dered   icillinirli/  —  'taking  the  over, 
sight-thereof  [of  the  church]  not  by 
constraint,  but  willingly.''  It  properly 
means,  wiliingiy,  voluntarily,  oj  our 
own   accord,    and    applies    to    cases 
where  no   constraint  is  used.     It  i^ 
not  to  be  construed  here  atriclly,  or 
fnetaphysically,  for  all  sin  is  voluntary, 
or  is  committed  willingly,  but  must 
refer  to  a  df  liberate  act,  where  a  man 
MEANS  to  abandon  his  religion,  and  ti> 
turn  away  from  God.     If  it  were  to 
j  be  taken  with  metaphvsical  exactness, 
it  would  demonstrate  that  everyChris- 
tian  who  ever  does  anything  wrong, 
I  no  matter  how  small,  would  be  lost. 
But  this  cannot,  from  the  nature  of 
the  case,  be  the  meaning.    The  apos- 
I  tie  well  knew  that  Christians  do  com- 
mit  such  sins  (see  Notes  onRom.vii), 
j  and  his  object  here  is  not  to  set  forth 
'  the  danger  of  such  sins,  but  to  guard 
I  Christians  against  apostasy  from  their 
religion.    In  the  Jewish  law,  as  is  in 
;  deed  the  case  everywhere,  a  distinc- 
tion is  made  between  sins  of  oversight, 
inadvertence,  or  ifritorance,  (Lev.  iv.  2. 
;  13.  22.  27;  v.  15;  Num.  xv.  24.  27, 
28,  29.     Comp.  Acts  iii.  1 7 ;  xvii.  30), 
and  sins  of  presumption  ;  sins  that  are 
deliberately  and  intentionally  commit- 
ted.    See  Ex.  xxi.  14;  Num.  xv.  30; 
Deut.  xvii.  12;    Ps.   xix.    13.      The 
apostle  here  has  reference,  evidentl}', 
to  such  a  distinction,  and  means  to 
speak    of  a   decided    and    deliberate 
purpose  to  break  away  from  the  re- 
straints and  obligations  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,     H  There  remaineth  no 
more  sacrifice  for  sins.  Should  a  man 
do  this,  there  is  no  sacriflce  for  sins 
which  could    save    him.     He   would 
have  rejected    deliberately    the  only 
atonement    made   for  sin,  and  there 
will  be  no  other  made.     It  is  as  if  a 
man  should  reject  the  only  medicine 
that  could  heal  him,  or  push   away 
the   only   boat   tliat  could   save    him 
when  shipwrecked.   See  Notes  eh.  vi. 
6.     The  saeriliee  made  for  sin  by  the 
Redeemer   is   never  to  be  repeated. 


A.  D.  04.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


343 


27  But  a  certain  fearful  look- 
ing  for  of  judgment,  and  fiery  » 
indignation  which  shall  devour 
the  adversaries. 

a  Zeph.  1.  18;  3.8. 

and  if  that  is   deliberately  rejected, 
the  soul  must  be  lost. 

27.  But  a  certain  fearful  looking  for 
of  judgment.  The  word  '  certain''  here 
does  not  meemjixed,  sure,  inevitable, 
as  our  translation  would  seem  to  im- 
ply. The  Greek  is  the  same  as  'a 
(r<s)  fearful  expectation,'  &c.  So  it 
is  rendered  by  Tindall.'  The  idea  is, 
that  if  there  was  voluntary  apostasy 
after  having  embraced  the  Christian 
religion,  there  could  be  nothing  but  an 
expectation  of  the  judgment  to  come. 
There  could  be  no  other  hope  but 
that  through  the  gospel,  and  as  this 
would  liave  been  renounced,  it  would 
follow  that  the  soul  must  perish.  The 
'  fearful  apprehension'  or  expectation 
here  does  not  refer  so  much  to  what 
would  be  in  the  mind  itself,  or  what 
would  be  experienced,  as  to  what 
must  foUoiD.  It  might  be  that  the 
person  referred  to  would  have  no  re- 
alizing sense  of  all  this,  and  still  his 
situation  be  that  of  one  who  had  no- 
thing to  expect  but  the  terrors  of  the 
judgment  to  come.  ^  And  fiery  in- 
dignation. Fire  is  often  used  in  the 
Scriptures  as  an  emblem  of  fierce 
punishment.  The  idea  is,  that  the 
person  referred  to  could  expect  no- 
thing but  the  wrath  of  God.  IT  Which 
shall  devour  the  adversaries.  All  who 
become  1  he  adversaries  or  enemies  of 
the  Lord.  Fire  is  often  said  to  de- 
vour, or  consume,  and  the  meaning 
here  is,  that  tliose  who  should  thus 
become  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  must 
perisli. 

28.  He  that  despised  Moses^  law. 
That  is,  the  apostate  from  the  reli- 
gion of  Moses.  It  does  not  mean 
that  in  all  cases  the  offender  against 
the  law  of  Moses  died  without  mercy, 
but  only  where  offences  were  punish- 
able with  death,  and  probably  tlic 
apostle  had  in  his  eye  particularly  the 
case  of  apostasy  from  the  Jewish  re- 


28  He  *  that  despised  Moscs^ 
law  died  without  mercy  under 
two  or  three  witnesses  : 

29  Of'  how  much  sorer  pun- 

b  Be.  17.  2-13.  c  c.  2.  3. 

ligion.  The  subject  of  apostasy  from 
the  Christian  religion  is  particularly 
under  discussion  here,  and  it  was  na- 
tural to  illustrate  this  by  a  reference 
to  a  similar  case  under  the  law  of 
Moses.  The  law  in  regard  to  apos- 
tates from  the  Jewish  religion  was 
positive.  There  was  no  reprieve. 
Deut.  xiii.  6 — 10.  IT  Died  without 
tnercif.  That  is,  there  was  no  provi- 
sion for  pardon.  ^  Under  two  or  three 
toilnesses.  It  w^as  the  settled  law 
among  the  Hebrews  that  in  all  cases 
involving  capital  punishment,  two  or 
three  witnesses  sliould  be  necessary. 
That  is,  no  one  was  to  be  executed 
unless  two  persons  certainly  bore  tes- 
timony, and  it  was  regarded  as  im- 
portant, if  possible,  that  three  witness- 
es should  concur  in  the  statement. 
The  object  was  the  security  of  the 
accused  person  if  innocent.  Tlie 
principle  in  the  law  was,  that  it  was 
to  be  presumed  that  two  or  three  per- 
sons would  be  much  less  likely  to 
conspire  to  render  a  false  testimony 
than  one  would  be,  and  that  two  or , 
three  would  not  be  likely  to  be  de- 
ceived in  regard  to  a  fact  which  they 
had  observed, 

29.  Of  how  7nuch  sorer  punishment, 
suppose  ye,  shall  he  he  thought  vmthy. 
That  is,  he  who  renounces  Christian- 
ity ought  to  be  regarded  as  deserving 
a  much  severer  punishment  than  the 
man  who  apostatized  from  the  Jewish 
religion,  and  if  he  ought  to  be  so  re- 
garded he  will  be — for  God  will  treat 
every  man  as  he  ought  to  be  treated. 
This  must  refer  to  future  purislimcnt, 
for  the  severest  punishment  was  in 
flicted  on  the  apostate  from  the  Jew- 
ish religion  which  can  be  in  this 
world — death;  and  yet  the  apostle  here 
says  that  a  severer  punishment  than 
that  would  be  deserved  by  him  who 
should  apostatize  from  the  Christian 
faith.     The  reasons  why  so  much  sp- 


044 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


ishment,  suppose  yc,  shall  he  i  blood  of  the  covenant,  where 
be  tiioui»ht    worthy,  wiio   hath   with  he  was  sanctified,  an  un 


trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of 
God,    and    hath    counted    the 


vercr  punishment  would  be  deserved, 
ure  such  as  these  : — the  Author  of  the 
Christian  system   was  lar  more  ex- 
alted tlian  Moses,  the  founder  of  the 
Jewish  system ;  he  had  revealed  more 
important  trutlis ;    he  had  increased 
and    confirmed  tiie   motives  to  iioli- 
ness ;  he  had  furnished  more  means 
for  leading  a  holy  life ;  he  had  given 
himself  as  a  sacrifice  to  redeem  tlie 
soul  from  death,  and  he  had  revealed 
with  far  greater  clearness  the  truth 
that  there  is  a  heaven  of  glory  and  of 
holiness,     lie  who  should  apostatize 
from  tlic  Christian  faith,  the  apostle 
goes  on  to  say,  would  also  be  guilty 
of    tl)C    most   aggravated    crime     of 
which    man    could    be    guilty  —  the 
crime  of  trampling  under  foot  the  Son 
of  God,    of    showing    contempt   tor 
his    holy    blood,    and    despising    the 
Spirit  of  grace.    If   Who  hath  trodden 
under  foot  the  Son  of  God.     Tliis  lan- 
guage is  taken  either  from  the  custom 
of  ancient  conquerors  who  were   ac- 
customed to  tread   on  the  necks   of 
their  enemies  in  token  of  their  being 
subdued,  or  from  the  fact  that  men 
tread  on  that  wliich  they  despise  and 
contenm.     The  idea  is,  that  he  who 
should  apostatize  from  the  Christian 
faith  would  act  as  if  he  should  indig- 
nantly and  contemptuously   trample 
on   God's    only   Son.      What   crime 
could  be  more  aggravated  than  this  ? 
IT  Aiid  hath  counted  the  blood   of  the 
covenant.      The    blood    of  Jesus   l)y 
which  the  new  covenant  between  God 
and  man  was  ratified.     See  Notes  on 
ch.  ix.  16 — 20.  Comp.  Notes  on  Matt. 
txvi.  28.     II  Wherewith  he  was  sane- 
lijied.     Made  holy,  or  set  apart  to  the 
service  of  God.     The  word  sanctify  is 
used    in    both    these    senses.      Prof. 
Stuart  renders  it,  '  by  wliich  expiation 
is  made;'    and  many  others,   in  ac- 
cordance with  this  view,  have    sup- 
posed that  it  refers  to  the  Lord  Jesus. 


holy  thing,  and  hatii  done  de- 
spite unto  the  Spirit"  of  grace! 

a  Mat.  12.  31,  32. 


But  it  seems  to  me  that  it  refers  to 
the  person  who  is  here  supposed  to 
renounce  the  Christian  religion,  or  to 
apostatize  from  it.     The  reasons  for 
this  are  such  as  these.     (1.)  It  is  the 
natural  and   proper    meaning  of  the 
word  iicre  rendered  sanctified.     This 
word  is  commonly  applii^fl  to  Chris- 
tians in  the  sense  that  they  are  made 
holy.     See  Acts  xx.  3:2;  xxvi.  18;  I. 
Cor.  i.  2  ;  Jude  1.    Comp.  John  x.  36; 
xvii.  17.     (2.)  It  is  unusual  to  apply 
this  word  to  the  Saviour.     It  is  true, 
indeed,  that  he  says  (John  xvii.  ID), 
'for   their  sakcs  1  sanctity    myself,' 
but  there  is  no  instance  in  which  he 
says  that  he  was  sanctified  by  his  own 
blood.  And  where  is  there  an  instance 
in  which  the  word  is  used  as  meaning 
'  to  make  expiation  ?'     (3.)  The  sup- 
position that  it  refers  to  one  who  is 
liere  spoken  of  as  in  danger  of  apos- 
tasy,   and    not   of   the    Lord    Jesus, 
agrees  with  the  scope  of  the  argument. 
The  apostle  is  showing  the  great  guilt, 
and  the  certain  destruction,  of  one  who 
should  apostatize  from  the  Christian 
religion.     In  doing  this,  it  was  natu- 
ral to  speak  of  the  dishonour  which 
would    thus    be  done    to   the    means 
which  had  been  used  for  his  sanctifi- 
cation  —  the  blood  of  tiie  Redeemer. 
It  would  be  treating  it  as  if  it  were  a 
common  thing,  or  as  if  it  might  be 
disregarded  like  anything  else  which 
was  of  no  value.     ^  An  unholy  thing, 
Gr.'  common ;  often  used  in  the  sense 
of  unholy.     The  word  is  so  used  be- 
cause that  which  was  holy  was  sepa- 
rated from  a  common  to  a  sacred  use. 
What  was  not  thus  consecrated  was 
free  to  all,  or  was  for  common  use, 
and  hence  also  the  word  is  used  to 
denote  that  which  is  uniioly.     If  And 
hath  done  despite   itnlo  the   spirit  of 
crrace.     Tiie  Holy  Spirit,  called  'the 
Spirit  of  grace,'  because  he  confers 
favour  or  grace  on  men.    The  mean- 


A.  D.  G4.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


245 


30  For  we    know   him    that 

.hath  said,  Vengeance  "  belong- 

cth  unto  me,  I  will  recompense, 

And    again,  ^ 

b  Ps.  135.  14. 


saith  the  Lord. 

a  De.  32.  S-l,  36. 


ing-  of  the  phrase  '  done  despite  unto' 
—  Ivvljfiiaas  —  is,  'having  reproached, 
or  treated  with  malignity,  or  con- 
tempt.' The  idea  is,  that  it' they  were 
thus  to  apostatize,  they  would  by  such 
an  act  treat  the  Spirit  of  God  with 
disdain  and  contempt.  It  was  by  him 
that  they  had  been  renewed ;  by  him 
that  they  had  been  brought  to  embrace 
the  Saviour  and  to  love  God ;  by  him 
that  they  had  any  holy  feelings  or 
pure  desires ;  and  if  tlicy  now  apos- 
tatized  from  religion,  such  an  act 
would  be  in  fact  treating  the  Holy 
Spirit  with  the  highest  indignity.  It 
would  be  saying  that  all  his  influences 
were  valueless,  and  that  they  needed 
no  help  from  him.  From  such  con- 
siderations, the  apostle  shows  tliat  if 
a  true  Christian  were  to  apostatize, 
nothing  would  remain  for  him  but 
the  terrific  prospect  of  eternal  condem- 
nation. He  would  have  rejected  the 
only  Saviour;  he  would  have  in  fact 
treated  him  With  tlie  highest  indig- 
nity ;  he  would  have  considered  his  sa- 
cred blood,  shed  to  sanctify  men,  as 
a  common  thing,  and  would  have 
shown  the  highest  disregard  for  the 
only  agent  who  can  save  the  soul — 
the  Spirit  of  God.  How  could  such 
an  one  afterwards  be  saved  ?  The 
apostle  does  not  indeed  say  that  any 
one  ever  would  thus  apostatize  from 
the  true  religion,  nor  is  there  any 
reason  to  believe  that  such  a  case 
ever  has  occurred,  but  if  it  should  oc- 
cur the  doom  would  be  inevitable. 
IIow  dangerous  then  is  every  step 
which  would  lead  to  such  a  precipice  ! 
And  how  strange  and  unscriptural  the 
opinion  held  by  so  many  that  sincere 
Christians  may  '  fall  away'  and  be  re- 
newed, again  and  again  ! 

30.  For  we  know  him  that  hath  said. 
We  know  who  has    said  this — God. 
They  knew  this  because  it  was   re- 
corded in   their  own   sacred   books. 
21* 


The  Lord  shall  judge  his  peo- 
ple. 

31  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living 
God. 


IT  Vengeance  belongeth  vnto  me,  &c. 
This  is  found  in  Deut.  xxxii.  35.  See 
it  explained  in  the  Notes  on  Romans 
xii.  19.  It  is  there  quoted  to  show 
that  we  should  not  avenge  ourselves  ; 
it  is  here  quoted  to  show  that  God 
will  certainly  inflict  punishment  on 
those  who  deserve  it.  If  any  should 
apostatize  in  the  manner  here  referred 
to  by  the  apostle,  they  would,  says  he, 
be  guilty  of  great  and  unparalleled 
wickedness,  and  would  have  the  cer- 
tainty that  they  must  meet  the  wrath 
of  God.  If  And  again,  the  Lord  shall 
judge  his  people.  This  is  quoted  from 
Deut.  xxxii.  36.  That  is,  he  will  judge 
them  when  they  deserve  it,  and  pun- 
ish them  if  they  ought  to  be  punished. 
The  mere  fact  that  they  are  his  peo- 
ple will  not  save  them  from  punish- 
ment if  they  deserve  it,  any  more  than 
the  fact  that  one  is  a  beloved  child 
will  save  him  from  correction  when 
he  docs  wrong.  This  truth  was  abun- 
dantly illustrated  in  the  history  of  the 
Israelites  ;  and  the  same  great  prin- 
ciple would  be  applied  should  any 
sincere  Christian  apostatize  from  his 
religion.  He  would  have  before  him 
the  certainty  of  the  most  fearful  and 
severe  of  all  punishments. 

31.  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  int 
the  hands  of  the  living  God.  Thero 
may  be  an  allusion  here  to  the  request 
of  David  to  '  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Lord  and  not  into  the  hands  of  men,' 
when  it  was  submitted  to  him  for  the 
sin  of  numbering  the  people,  whether 
he  would  choose  seven  years  of  fa- 
mine, or  flee  three  months  before  his 
enemies,  or  have  three  days  of  pcsti- 
lence.  II.  Sam.  xxiv.  He  preferred 
'  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord,' 
and  God  smote  seventy  thousand  men 
by  the  pestilence.  The  idea  here -is, 
tJiat  to  fall  iuiO  the  hands  of  the  Lord, 
after  having  despised  his  mercy  and 
rejected  his  salvation,  would  be  ter. 


346 


HEBRKWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


32  But  call  to  remembrance 
the  I'orinor  days,  in  which,  after 
ye  were  illuminated,  ye  endured 
a  great  iigiit  of  aillictions  ; 


rific ;  and  the  fear  of  this  should 
deter  from  the  coinmission  of  the 
dreadful  crime.  The  piirase  '  living 
God'  is  used  in  the  Scripture  in  op- 
position to  idols.  God  always  lives  ; 
iiis  power  is  capable  of  being  always 
exerted.  He  is  not  like  tlie  idols  of 
wood  or  stone  which  have  no  life,  and 
which  are  not  to  be  dreaded,  but  he 
always  lives.  It  is  the  more  fearful 
to  liill  into  his  hands  because  he  will 
live  for  ever.  A  man  who  inflicts 
punishment  will  die,  and  the  punish- 
ment will  come  to  an  end ;  but  God 
will  never  cease  to  exist,  and  tiie  pun- 
ishment which  he  is  capable  of  iiiHict- 
ing  to-day  he  will  be  capable  of  in- 
flicting for  ever  and  ever.  To  fall 
into  his  hands,  therefore, /or  the  pur- 
pose of  punishment — which  is  the 
idea  here — is  fearful,  (1)  because  he 
has  all  power,  and  can  inflict  just 
what  punishment  he  pleases ;  (2)  be- 
cause he  is  strictly  just,  and  will  in- 
flict the  punishment  which  ought  to 
be  inflicted ;  (3)  because  he  lives  for 
ever,  and  can  carry  on  his  purpose 
of  punishment  to  eternal  ages,  and  (4) 
because  the  actual  inflictions  of  pun- 
ishment which  have  occurred  show 
what  is  to  be  dreaded.  So  it  was  on 
the  old  world ;  on  the  cities  of  the 
plain ;  on  Babylon,  Idumea,  Caper- 
naum, and  Jerusalem  ;  and  so  it  is  in 
the  world  of  wo — the  eternal  abodes 
of  dcsjjair  where  the  worm  never  dies. 
All  men  musi,  in  one  sense,  fall  into 
his  hands.  They  must  appear  before 
him.  Tliey  must  be  brought  to  his 
bar  when  they  die.  How  unspeak- 
ably important  it  is  then  now  to  em- 
brace his  otfcrs  of  salvation,  that  we 
may  not  fall  into  his  iiands  as  a 
rigiitcous,  avenging  judge,  and  sink 
bcneatli  his  uplitled  arm  lor  ever  ! 

'6'i.  But  call  to  remembrance  the 
former  days.  It  would  seem  from 
this,  that  at  the  time  when  the  apos- 


33  Partly,  whilst  ye  were 
made  a  gazing-stock,  both  by 
reproaches  and  atilictions  ;  and 
partly,  whilst  ye  became  "  com- 

a  1  Til.  2.  14. 

tie  wrote  this  epistle  they  were  safFer. 
ing  some  severe  trials,  in  which  they 
were  in  great  danger  of  apostatizing 
from  their  religion.  It  is  also  mani- 
fest that  they  had  on  some  former 
occasion  endured  a  similar  trial,  and 
had  been  enabled  to  bear  it  with  a 
Christian  spirit,  and  with  resignation. 
The  object  of  the  apostle  now  is  to 
remind  them  that  they  were  sustained 
under  those  trials,  and  he  would  -en- 
courage them  now  to  similar  patience 
by  the  recollection  of  tlie  grace  then 
conferred  on  them.  ^Vhat  was  the 
nature  of  their  former  trials,  or  of 
that  which  they  were  then  experi- 
encing, is  not  certainly  known.  It 
would  seem  probable,  however,  tiiat 
the  reference  in  both  instances  is  to 
some  form  of  persecution  by  their  own 
countrymen.  The  meaning  is,  that 
when  we  have  been  enabled  to  puss 
through  trials  once,  we  are  to  make  the 
remembrance  of  the  grace  then  be- 
stowed an  us  a  means  of  supporting 
and  encouraging  us  in  future  trials. 
^  After  ye  were  illuminated.  After 
you  became  Christians,  or  were  en- 
lightened to  see  the  truth.  This  phrase, 
referring  here  undoubtedl}'  to  the  fact 
that  they  were  Christians,  may  serve 
to  explain  the  disputed  phrase  in  ch. 
vi.  4.  See  Notes  on  that  passage. 
If  A  great  fight  of  afjliclions.  The 
language  here  seems  to  be  taken  from 
the  Grecian  games.  The  word  '  fight' 
means  properly  contention,  combat, 
such  as  occurred  in  the  public  games. 
Here  the  idea  is,  that  in  tlie  trials  re- 
ferred to,  they  had  a  great  struggle  ; 
that  is,  a  struggle  to  maintain  their 
faith  without  wavering,  or  against 
those  who  would  have  led  them  to 
apostatize  fom  their  religion.  Some 
of  the  circumstances  attending  this 
conflict  are  alluded  to  in  the  following 
verses. 

33.  Partly.  That  is,  your  affliction 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


247 


panions  of  them  that  were  so 
used. 

34  For  ye  had  compassion  of 
me  in  my  bonds,  and  took  joy- 
fully the  spoiling  of  your  goods, 

consisted  partly  in  this.     The  Greek 
is,  '  this' — specifying  one  kind  of  af- 
fliction that  they  were  called  to  en- 
dure.    ^   Whilst  ye  were  made  a  gaz- 
ing-sloclc.  Gr.  Searpii^oiici'oi — you  were 
made  a   public   spectacle,  as  if  in  a 
theatre ;  you  were  held  up  to  public 
view,   or    exposed    to    pulilic    scorn. 
When  this  was  done,  or  in  precisely 
what   mauner,  we  are    not  told.     It 
was  not    an  uncommon  thing,  how- 
ever,  for  the    early  Christians  to  be 
held  up  to  reproach  and  scorn,  and 
probably    this    reiers    to    some    time 
when  it  was  done  by  rulers  or  ma- 
gistrates.    It  was  a  common  custom 
among  the  Greeks   and   Romans    to 
lead  criminals,  before  they  were  put 
to  death,   through    the    theatre,  and 
thus  to  expose  them  to  the  insults  and 
reproaches  of  the  multitude.     See  the 
proofs  of  this  adduced  by  Kuinoel  on 
this    passage.      The    language    here 
seems  to  have  been  taken  from  this 
custom,  though  there  is  no  evidence 
that  the  Christians  to  whom  Paul  re- 
fers had  been  treated  in  this  manner. 
IT  By  reproaches.  Reproached  as  being 
the  followers  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth : 
probably  as  weak  and  fanatical.  H  And 
afflictions.  Ya.rious sufferings  inflicted 
on  them.     Tiiey  were  not  merely  re- 
viled in  words,  but  they  were  made 
to  endure  positive  sutTerings  of  va- 
rious kinds.     IT  And  partly,  while  ye 
became  companions  of  them  that  were 
so  used.      That  is,  even  when    they 
had  not  themselves  been  subjected  to 
these    trials,    they   had    sympathized 
with  those  who  were.     They  doubt- 
less imparted  to  them  of  tlieir  pro- 
perty ;  sent  to  them  relief,  and  iden- 
tified themselves  with  them.      It    is 
not  known  to  what  particular  occa- 
sion the  apostle  here  refers.     In  t'ue 
next  verse  he  mentions  one  instance 
in  which  they  had  done  this,  in  aid- 
ing him  when  he  was  a  prisoner. 


knowing  '  in  yourselves  that  ye 
have  in  heaven  "  a  better  and 
an  enduring  substance. 

1  or,  that  yc  have  in  yourselves  ;   or,  for 
yourselves, 
a  Lu.  12.  33. 


34.  For  ye  had  compassion  of  me  in 
my  bonds.     You    sympathized    with 
me  when  a  prisoner,  and  sent  to  my 
relief.     It  is  not  known  to  what  par- 
ticular instance  of  imprisonment  the 
apostle  here    refers.     It  is  probable, 
liowever,  that  it  was  on  some  occasion 
when  he  was  a  prisoner  in  Judea,  for 
the  persons  to  wliom  this  epistle  was 
sent    most    probably    resided    there. 
Paul  was  at  one  time  a  prisoner  more 
than  two  years  at  Cesarea  (Acts  xxiv. 
27),  and  during  this  time  he  was  kept 
in  the  charge  of  a  centurion,  and  his 
friends  had  free  access  to  him.  Acts 
xxiv.  S3.     It  would  seem  not  impro- 
bable  that  this  was   the  occasion  to 
which   he   here   refers.     IT  And  took 
joyfully  the  spoiling  of  your  goods. 
The  plunder  of  your  property.  It  was 
not  an  uncommon  thing  for  the  early 
Christians  to  be  plundered.  This  was 
doubtless  a  part  of  the  '  atflietions'  to 
which  the  apostle  refers  in  this  case, 
The  meaning   is,  that   they   yielded 
their  property  not  only  without  resist- 
ance, but  witii  joy.  They,  in  common 
with  all  the  early  Christians,  counted 
it  a  privilege  and  honour  to  suffer  in 
the  cause  of  their  Master.    See  Notes 
on  Phil.  iii.  10  ;  Comp.  I.  Phil.  iv.  13. 
Men  may  be  brought  to  such  a  state 
of  mind  as  to  part  witli  their  property 
with  joy.     It  is  not  usually  tlie  case  ; 
but  religion  will  enable  a  man  to  do 
it.     II  Knowing  in  yourselves.    Marg. 
'  or,  that  ye  have  in  yourselves  ;  or,  for 
yourselves.''     The  true   rendering   is, 
'  knowing  that  ye  have  for  yourselves.' 
It  does  not  refer  to  any  internal  know- 
ledge which  they  liad  of  this,  but   to 
the  fict  tliat  they  were  assured  that 
tliey  had  laid  up  for  themselves  a  bet- 
ter inlieritance  in  heaven.    "iT  That  ye 
have  in  heaven  a  better  and  an  endur- 
ing substance.  Better  tlian  any  earth- 
ly  possession,  and  more  pcTmanent. 
It  is  (1.)  better;  it  is  worth  more;  it 


248 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


35  Cast  not  away  therefore 
your  confidence,  which  hath 
great  "  recompense  of  reward. 

36  For  ye  have  need  of  pa- 

a  Mat.  5.  12. 

gives  more  comfort ;  it  makes  a 
man  really  richer.  The  treasure  laid 
up  in  heaven  is  worth  more  to  a 
man  tlian  all  the  wealth  of  Croesus. 
It  v/ill  give  him  more  solid  peace 
and  comfort ;  will  better  serve  liis 
turn  in  the  various  situations  in  which 
he  may  be  placed  in  life,  and  will 
do  more  on  the  whole  to  make  him 
happy.  It  is  not  said  here  that  pro- 
perty is  worth  nothing  to  a  man  — 
which  is  not  true,  if  he  uses  it  well — 
but  that  the  treasures  of  heaven  are 
worth  more,  (2.)  It  is  more  enduring. 
Property  here  soon  vanishes.  Riches 
take  to  themselves  wings  and  fly 
away,  or  at  any  rate  all  that  we  pos- 
sess must  soon  be  left.  But  in  hea- 
ven all  is  permanent  and  secure. 
No  calamity  of  war,  pestilence,  or  fa- 
mine ;  no  change  of  times ;  no  com- 
mercial embarrassments ;  no  failure 
of  a  crop,  or  a  bank ;  no  fraud  of 
sharpers  and  swindlers,  and  no  act 
of  a  pick-pocket  or  highwayman  can 
take  it  away ;  nor  docs  death  ever 
come  there  to  remove  the  inhabitants 
of  heaven  from  their  'mansions.' 
With  this  hope,  therefore,  Christians 
may  cheerfully  see  their  earthly  wealth 
vanish,  for  they  can  look  forward  to 
their  enduring  and  their  better  inhe- 
ritance. 

35.  Cast  not  away  therefore  your 
confidence.  Gr.  '  your  boldness  ;'  re- 
ferring to  their  confident  hope  in  God. 
They  were  not  to  cast  tiiis  away,  and 
to  become  timid,  disheartened,  and 
discouraged.  They  were  to  bear  up 
manfully  under  all  their  trials,  and 
to  maintain  a  steadfast  adherence  to 
God  and  to  his  cause.  The  command 
is  not  to  '  cast  this  away.'  Nothing 
could  take  it  from  them  if  they  trusted 
in  God,  and  it  could  be  lost  only  by 
their  own  neglect  or  imprudence. 
Rosenmiiller  supposes  (Alte  und  Neue 
Morgcnland,  in  lac.)  tliat  there  may 


tience ;  *  that,  after  ye  have 
done  the  will  of  God,  ye  might 
receive  the  promise. 

37   For  "  yet   a  little   while, 


b  Lu.  21.  19. 


c  Ha.  2.  3,  4. 


be  an  allusion  here  to  the  disgrace 
which  was  attached  to  the  act  of  a 
warrior  if  he  cast  away  his  shield. 
Among  the  Greeks  tliis  was  a  crime 
wliich  was  punishable  with  death. 
Alexander  ab  Alexand.  Gen.  Dicr.  L. 
ii.  c.  13.  Among  the  ancient  Ger- 
mans,  Tacitus  says,  that  to  lose  the 
shield  in  battle  was  regarded  as  the 
deepest  dishonour,  and  that  those  who 
were  guilty  of  it  were  not  allowed  to 
be  present  at  the  sacrifices  or  in  the 
assembly  of  the  people.  Many,  saya 
he,  who  had  suffered  this  calamity, 
closed  their  ovvti  lives  with  the  halter 
under  the  loss  of  honour.  Tac.  Germ, 
c.  6.  A  similar  disgrace  would  attend 
the  Christian  soldier  if  he  should  cast 
away  his  shield  of  faith.  Comp.  Notes 
Eph.  vi.  16.  H  Which  hath  great  re- 
compense of  reward.  It  will  furnish 
a  reward  by  the  peace  of  mind  which 
it  gives  here,  and  will  be  connected 
with  the  rewards  of  heaven. 

36.  F'or  ye  have  need  of  patience. 
They  were  then  suffering,  and  in  all 
trials  we  have  need  of  patience.  We 
have  need  of  it  because  there  is  in  us 
so  much  disposition  to  murmur  and 
repine ;  because  our  nature  is  liable 
to  sink  under  sufferings ;  and  because 
our  trials  are  often  protracted.  All 
that  Christians  can  do  in  such  cases 
is  to  be  patient — to  lie  calmly  in  the 
hands  of  God,  and  submit  to  his  will 
day  by  day,  and  year  by  year.-  See 
James  i.  3,  4 ;  Notes  Rom.  v.  4. 
If  That  after  ye  have  done  the  will  of 
God.  That  is,  in  bearing  trials,  for 
the  reference  here  is  particularly  to 
afllictions.  ^  Ye  might  receive  the 
promise.  The  promised  inheritance 
or  reward — in  heaven.  It  is  implied 
here  that  tiiis  promise  will  not  be  re- 
ceived unless  we  are  patient  in  our 
trials,  and  the  prospect  of  this  reward 
should  encourage  us  to  endure  them. 

37.  For  yet  a  Utile  tohile.    There 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


249 


and  he  that  shall  come  will 
come,  and  will  not  tarry. 

38  Now  the  just   shall  live 

seems  to  be  an  allusion  here  to  what 
the  Saviour  himself  said,  'A  little 
while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me ;  and 
again,  a  little  while  and  ye  shall  see 
me.'  John  xvi.  16.  Or  more  proba- 
bly it  may  be  to  Habak.  ii.  3.  "  For 
the  vision  is  yet  for  an  appointed  time, 
but  at  the  end  it  shall  speak,  and  not 
lie :  though  it  tarry,  wait  for  it ;  be- 
cause it  will  surely  come,  it  will  not 
tarry."  The  idea  which  the  apostle 
means  to  convey  evidently  is,  that 
the  time  of  their  deliverance  from 
their  trials  was  not  far  remote.  IT  And 
he  that  shall  come  will  come.  The 
reference  here  is,  doubtless,  to  the 
Messiah.  But  what  '  coming^  of  his 
is  referred  to,  is  more  uncertain.  Most 
probably  the  idea  is,  that  the  Messiah 
who  was  coming  to  destroy  Jerusa- 
lem, and  to  overthrow  the  Jewish 
power  (Matt,  xxv.),  would  soon  do 
this.  In  this  way  he  would  put  a  pe- 
riod to  their  persecutions  and  trials, 
as  the  power  of  the  Jewish  people  to 
afflict  them  would  be  at  an  end.  A 
similar  idea  occurs  in  Luke  xxi.  28. 
"  And  when  these  things  begin  to 
come  to  pass,  then  look  up,  and  lift 
up  your  heads ;  for  your  redemption 
draweth  vigh."  See  Notes  on  that 
passage.  The  Christians  in  Palestine 
were  oppressed,  reviled,  and  persecut- 
ed by  the  Jews.  The  destruction  of 
the  city  and  the  temple  would  put  an 
end  to  that  power,  and  would  be  in 
fact  the  time  of  deliverance  for  those 
who  had  been  persecuted.  In  the 
passage  before  us,  Paul  intimates  that 
that  period  was  not  far  distant.  Per- 
haps there  were  already  'signs'  of  his 
coming,  or  indications  that  be  was 
about  to  appear,  and  he  therefore 
urges  them  patiently  to  persevere  in 
their  fidelity  to  him  during  the  little 
time  of  trial  that  remained.  The 
same  encouragement  and  consolation 
may  be  employed  still.  To  all  the 
afflicted  it  may  be  said  that  '  he  that 
Bhall    come    will    come'  soon.      The 


by  faith :  but  if  any  man  draw 
back,  my  soul  shall  have  no 
pleasure  in  him. 


time  of  affliction  is  not  long.  Soon 
the  Redeemer  will  appear  to  deliver 
his  afflicted  people  from  all  their  sor- 
rows ;  to  remove  them  from  a  world 
of  pain  and  tears  ;  and  to  raise  their 
bodies  from  the  dust,  and  to  receive 
them  to  mansions  where  trials  are 
for  ever  unknown.  Notes  John  xiv. 
3;  I.  Thess.  iv.  13—18. 

38.  Now  the  just  shall  live  by  faith. 
This  is  a  part  of  the  quotation  from 
Habakkuk  (ii.  3,  4),  which  was  pro- 
bably commenced  in  the  previous 
verse.  See  the  passage  fully  ex- 
plained in  the  Notes  on  Rom.  i.  17. 
The  meaning  in  the  connexion  in 
which  it  stands  here,  in  pxcordance 
with  the  sense  in  which  it  was  used 
by  Habakkuk,  is,  that  the  righteous 
should  live  by  continued  confidence  in 
God.  They  should  pass  their  lives, 
not  in  doubt,  and  fear,  and  trembling 
apprehension,  but  in  the  exercise  of  a 
calm  trust  in  God.  In  this  sense  it 
accords  with  the  scope  of  what  the 
apostle  is  here  saying.  He  is  exhort- 
ing the  Christians  whom  he  address- 
ed, to  perseverance  in  their  religion 
even  in  the  midst  of  many  persecu- 
tions. To  encourage  this  he  says, 
that  it  was  a  great  principle  that  the 
just,  that  is,  all  the  pious,  ought 
to  live  in  the  constant  exerci-se  of 
faith  in  God.  They  should  not  con 
fide  in  their  own  merits,  works,  or 
strength.  They  should  exercise  con- 
stant reliance  on  their  Maker,  and  he 
would  keep  them  even  unto  eternal 
life.  The  sense  is,  that  a  persevering 
confidence  or  belief  in  the  Lord  will 
preserve  us  amidst  all  the  trials  and 
calamities  to  which  we  are  exposed. 
IT  But  if  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul 
shall  have  no  pleasure  in  him.  This 
also  is  a  quotation  from  Hab.  ii.  4, 
but  from  the  Septuagint,  not  from  the 
Hebrew.  Why  the  authors  of  the 
Septuagint  thus  translated  the  pas- 
sage, it  is  impossible  now  to  say. 
The  Hebrew  is  rendered  in  the  com- 


250 


IIEBR?]\V.S. 


[A.  D.  64. 


39  But  we  arc  not  of  tlicm !  but  of  them  that  belieVe  to  the 


who  draw  back  "  unto  perdition, 
a  Ver.  26. 

moil  version,  "  Behold,  his  soul  which 
is  lilled  up  is  not  uprifjlit  in  him  ;" 
or  more  literally,  "  Behold  tiie  scorn- 
ful ;  his   mind   siiall   not   bo   happy" 
(^Stuarl) ;  or  as  Gcsenius  renders  it, 
"See,  he  wliose   soul   is   unbelieving 
shall,  on  this  account,  be  unhappy." 
The  sentiment  there  i.s,  that  the  seorn- 
er  or   unbeliever   in   that  day  would 
be  unhappy,  or  would  not  prosper — 
mK?'   X^.     The  apostle  has  retained 
the  general  sense  of  the  passage,  and 
the  idea  which  he  expresses  is,  that 
the  unbeliever,  or  lie  who  renounces 
his  religion,  will  incur  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure.    He  will  be  a  man  exposed 
to  the  divine  wrath  ;  a  man  on  whom 
God  cannot  look  but  with  disapproba- 
tion.    By  tills  solemn  consideration, 
therefore,  the  apostle  urges  on  them 
the  importance  of  perseverance,  and 
the  guilt  and  danger  of  apostasy  from 
the  Christian  faith.     If  such  a  case 
should  occur,  no  matter  what  might 
have  been  tlic  former  condition,  and 
no  matter  what  love  or   zeal   might 
have  been  evinced,  yet  such  an  apos- 
tasy would  expose  the  individual  to 
the  certain  wrath  of  God.     Ilis  for- 
mer  love  could   not  save   him,    any 
more  than  the  former  obedience  of  the 
angels  saved  them  from  tiie  horrors  of 
eternal  chains  and  dariincss,  or  than 
the  holiness  in  which  Adam  was  cre- 
ated saved  liim  and  his  postcrit}'  from 
tiie  calamities  which  his  apostasy  in- 
curred. 

3D,  But  we  are  not  of  them,  &c. 
We  who  are  true  Christians  do  net 
belong  to  such  a  class.  In  this  the 
apostle  expresses  the  fullest  convic- 
tion that  none  of  those  to  wliom  he 
wrote  would  apostatize.  The  case 
which  he  had  been  describing  was 
only  a  supposable  case,  not  one  which 
he  believed  would  occur.  lie  liad 
only  been  stating  what  must  happen 
if  a  sincere  Christian  should  aposta- 
tize.    But  lie   did   not  mean  to   say 


savinii  of  the  soul. 


that  this  would  occur  in  regard  to 
tlicin,  or  in  any  case.  He  made  a 
statement  of  a  general  j)rinciple  un- 
dcr  the  divine  administration,  and  he 
designed  that  this  should  be  a  means 
of  keeping  them  in  the  path  to  life. 
What  could  be  a  more  eft'ectuil  means 
than  the  assurance  that  if  a  Christian 
siiould  apostatize  he  must  inevitably 
perish  fur  ever  ?  See  the  sentiment 
in  this  verse  illustrated  at  length  in 
the  Notes  on  ch.  vi.  4 — 10. 

B  EM  ARES. 

(1.)  It  is  a  subject  of  rejoicing  that 
we  are  brought  under  a  more  perfect 
system  than  the  ancient  people  of 
God  were.  We  have  not  merely  a 
rude  outline  —  a  dim  and  shadowy 
sketch  of  religion,  as  they  had.  We 
are  not  now  required  to  go  before  a 
bloody  altar  every  day,  and  lead  up  a 
victim  to  be  slain.  We  may  come  to 
the  altar  of  God  feeling  that  the  great 
sacrifice  has  been  made,  and  that  the 
last  drop  of  blood  to  make  atonement 
has  been  shed.  A  pure,  glorious, 
holy  body  was  prepared  for  the  Great 
Victim,  and  in  that  body  he  did  the 
will  of  God  and  died  for  our  sins. 
Vs.  I— 10. 

(2.)  Like  that  Great  Redeemer,  let 
MS  do  the  will  of  God.  It  may  lead 
us  tlirough  sutTerings,  and  we  may 
be  called  to  meet  trials  strongly  re- 
sembling his.  But  the  will  of  God 
is  to  be  done  alike  in  bearing  trials, 
and  in  prayer  and  praise.  Obedience 
is  the  great  tiling  which  he  demands; 
wiiich  he  has  always  sought.  When 
his  ancient  people  led  up,  in  faith,  a 
lamb  to  the  altar,  still  he  preferred 
obedience  to  sacrifice ;  and  when  his 
Son  came  into  the  world  to  teach  U9 
iiow  to  live,  and  how  to  die,  still  th« 
great  thing  was  obedience.  He  came 
to  illustrate  the  nature  of  perfect  con- 
formity to  the  will  of  God,  and  he  did 
that  by  a  most  holy  life,  and  by  the 
most    patient   submission   to   all   the 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  X. 


251 


trials  appointed  him  in  his  purpose  to 
make  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the 
world.  Our  model,  alike  in  holy  liv- 
ing- and  holy  dying-,  is  to  be  tJie  Sa- 
viour ;  and  like  him  wc  are  required 
to  exercise  simple  submission  to  the 
will  of  God.     Vs.  1—10. 

(3.)  The  Redeemer  looks  calmly  for- 
ward to  the  time  when  all  his  foes  will 
be  brought  in  submission  to  his  feet. 
Vs.  11,  12.  He  is  at  the  right  hand 
of  God.  His  great  work  on  earth  is 
done.  He  is  to  suffer  no  more.  He 
is  exalted  beyond  the  possibility  of 
pain  and  sorrow,  and  he  is  seated  now 
on  high  looking  to  the  period  when 
all  his  foes  shall  be  subdued  and  he 
will  be  acknowledged  as  miiversul 
Lord. 

(4.)  The  Christian  has  exalted 
advantages.  He  has  access  to  the 
mercy-seat  of  God.-  He  may  enter 
by  faith  into  the  "  Holiest"  —  the 
very  heavens  where  God  dwells. 
Christ,  his  great  High  Priest,  has  en- 
tered there ;  has  sprinkled  over  the 
mercy-seat  with  his  blood,  and  ever 
lives  there  to  plead  his  cause.  There 
is  no  privilege  granted  to  men  like 
that  of  a  near  and  constant  access  to 
the  mercy-seat.  This  is  tlie  privilege 
not  of  a  few  ;  and  not  to  be  enjoyed 
but  once  in  a  year,  or  at  distant  in- 
tervals, but  which  the  most  humble 
Christian  possesses,  and  whioli  may  be 
enjoyed  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places. 
There  is  not  a  Christian  so  obscure, 
so  poor,  so  ignorant  that  he  may  not 
come  and  speak  to  God ;  and  there 
is  not  a  situation  of  poverty,  want,  or 
wo,  where  lie  may  not  make  his  wants 
known  with  the  assurance  tJiat  his 
prayers  will  be  heard  through  faith 
in  tlie  great  Redeemer.     Vs.  VJ,  20. 

(5.)  When  we  come  before  God,  let 
our  hearts  be  pure.  Ver.  22.  The 
body  has  been  waslicd  with  pure  wa- 
ter in  baptism,  emblematic  of  the  ])u- 
rifying  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Let  the  conscience  be  also  pure.  Let 
us  lay  aside  every  unholy  thought. 
Our  worsliip  will  not  be  jieccptable ; 
our  prayers  will  not  be  heard,  if  it  is 
not  so.  '  If  we  regard  iniquity  in  our 
hearts  the  Lord  will  not  hear  us.'  No 


matter  though  there  be  a  great  High 
Priest;  no  matter  though  he  have 
offered  a  perfect  sacrifice  for  sin,  and 
no  matter  though  the  throne  of  God 
be  accessible  to  men,  yet  if  there  is 
in  tlifc  hoart  the  love  of  sin ;  if  the 
conscience  is  not  pure,  our  prayers 
will  not  be  heard.'  Is  this  not  one 
great  reason  why  our  worship  is  so 
barren  and  unprofitable  ? 

(6.)  It  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to 
exhort  one  another  to  mutual  fidelity. 
Ver.  24.  We  should  so  tiir  regard  the 
interests  of  each  other,  as  to  strive  to 
promote  our  nmtual  advance  in  piety. 
The  clmrch  is  one.  All  true  Chris- 
tians are  brethren.  Each  one  has  an 
interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
every  one  who  loves  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  should  strive  to  increase  his 
spiritual  joy  and  usefulness.  A  Chris 
tian  brother  often  goes  astray  and 
needs  kind  admonition  to  reclaim 
him  ;  or  he  becomes  disheartened  and 
needs  encouragement  to  cheer  hiin  on 
his  Christian  way. 

(7.)  (;liristians  should  not  neglect 
to  assemble  together  for  the  worship 
of  God.  Ver.  25.  It  is  a  duty  which 
they  owe  to  God  to  acknowledge  liim 
publicly,  and  their  own  growth  in 
piety  is  essentially  connected  with 
public  worship.  It  is  impossible  for  a 
man  to  secure  the  advancement  of 
religion  in  his  soul  who  habitually 
neglects  public  worship,  and  religion 
will  not  flourish  in  any  community 
where  this  duty  is  not  performed. 
There  are  great  benefits  growing  out 
of  the  worship  of  God,  wliich  can  be 
secured  in  no  other  way.  God  has 
made  us  social  beings,  and  he  in- 
tends that  tlie  social  principle  shall  be 
called  into  exercise  in  religion,  as 
well  as  in  other  things.  We  have 
common  wants,  and  it  is  proper  to 
present  them  together  before  the 
mercy-seat.  We  liave  received  com- 
mon blessings  in  our  creation,  in  the 
Providence ofGod,  and  in  redemption, 
and  it  is  proper  that  we  should  as- 
semble together  and  render  united 
praise  to  our  Maker  for  his  goodness. 
Besides,  in  any  community,  the  pub. 
lie  worship  of  God  does  more  to  pro. 


252 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


mote  intelligence,  order,  peace,  har- 
mony, triendship,  neatness  of  apparel, 
and  purity  and  propriety  of  inter- 
course between  neiglibours,  than  any- 
thing else  can,  and  for  wliich  nothing 
else  can  be  a  compensation.  Every 
Christian,  and  every  other  man,  there- 
fore, is  bound  to  lend  his  influence  in 
thus  keeping  up  the  worship  of  God, 
and  should  always  be  in  his  place  in 
the  sanctuary.  The  particular  thing 
in  tlie  exliortation  of  tlie  apostle  is, 
that  this  should  be  done  even  in  the 
face  of  persecution.  The  early  Chris- 
tians felt  so  nmch  the  importance  of 
tliis,  that  we  are  told  tliey  were  ac- 
customed to  assemble  at  night.  For- 
bidden to  meet  in  public  houses 
of  worship,  they  met  in  caves,  and 
even  when  threatened  with  death  they 
continued  to  maintain  the  worship  of 
God.  It  may  be  added,  that  so  im- 
portant is  this,  that  it  should  be  pre- 
served even  when  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel  is  not  enjoyed.  Let  Cliris- 
tians .  assemble  together.  Let  them 
pray  and  offer  praise.  Let  them  read 
the  word  of  God,  and  an  appropriate 
sermon.  Even  this  will  exert  an  in- 
fluence on  them  and  on  the  commu- 
nity of  incalculable  importance,  and 
will  serve  to  keep  the  flame  of  piety 
burning  on  the  altar  of  their  own 
hearts,  and  in  the  community  around 
them. 

(8.)  We  may  see  the  danger  of  in- 
dulging in  any  sin.  Vs.  26,  27.  None 
can  tell  to  what  it  may  lead.  No 
matter  how  small  and  unimportant  it 
may  appear  at  tiie  time,  yet  if  in- 
dulged  in  it  will  prove  that  there  is  no 
true  religion,  and  will  lead  on  to  tliose 
greater  oftences  which  make  ship- 
wreck of  the  Ciiristian  name,  and 
ruin  the  soul.  He  that '  wilfully'  and 
deliberately  sins  '  after  he  professes 
to  have  received  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,'  shows  that  his  religion  is  but 
a  name,  and  that  he  has  never  known 
any  thing  of  its  power. 

(9.)  We  sliould  guard  with  sacred 
vigilance  against  everything  which 
might  lead  to  apostasy.  Vs.  26 — 29. 
If  a  sincere  Christiini  should  apostatize 
from  God,  he  could  never  be  renewed 


and  saved.  There  would  remain  no 
more  sacrifice  for  sins ;  there  is  no 
other  Saviour  to  be  provided ;  tliere  is 
no  other  Holy  Spirit  to  be  sent  down 
to  recover  the  apostate.  Since,  tlieje- 
fore,  so  fearful  a  punishment  would 
follow  apostasy  from  the  true  religion, 
we  may  see  tlie  guilt  of  everytliing 
which  has  a  tendency  to  it.  That 
guilt  is  to  be  measured  by  the  fearJul 
consequences  which  would  ensue  if  it 
were  followed  out ;  and  the  Christian 
should,  therefore,  tremble  when  he  is 
on  the  verge  of  committing  any  sin 
whose  legitimate  tendency  would  be 
such  a  result. 

(10.)  We  may  learn  from  the  views 
presented  in  this  chapter  (vs.  26 — 29), 
the  error  of  tliose  who  suppose  that  a 
true  Ciiristian  may  fall  away  and  be 
renewed  again  and  saved.  If  there  is 
any  principle  clearly  settled  in  the 
New  Testament,  it  is,  that  if  a  sincere 
Christian  should  apostatize,  he  must 
perish.  There  would  be  no  possibility 
of  renewing  him.  He  would  have 
tried  the  only  religion  which  saves 
men,  and  it  would  in  his  ease  have 
failed ;  he  would  have  applied  to  the 
only  blood  which  purifies  the  soul, 
and  it  would  have  been  found  inefii- 
cacious  ;  he  would  have  been  brought 
under  the  only  influence  which  re- 
news  the  soul,  and  tiiat  would  not 
have  been  sufficient  to  save  him. 
What  hope  could  there  be?  What 
would  then  save  him  if  these  would 
not?  To  what  would  he  apply  — 
to  what  Saviour,  to  what  blood  of 
atonement,  to  what  renewing  and 
sanctifying  agent,  if  tiie  gospel,  and 
the  Redeemer,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  had 
all  been  tried  in  vain  ?  There  are 
few  errors  in  the  community  more 
directly  at  variance  with  the  express 
teachings  of  the  Bible  than  the  belief 
that  a  Christian  may  fall  away  and 
be  again  renewed. 

(II.)  Christians,  in  their  conflicts," 
their  trials,  and  their  temptations, 
should  be  strengthened  by  what  is 
past.  Vs.  .32 — 3.^.  They  sliould  re- 
member tiie  days  when  tliey  were 
afflicted  and  God  sustained  them 
when  they   were  persecuted  and  he 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


253 


N 


CHAPTER  XI. 

OW  faith  is  the  '  substance 
of  things  hoped  for,  the 


brouglit  Ihem  relief.  It  is  proper  also 
to  remember  for  their  own  encourage- 
ment now,  the  spirit  of  patience  and 
submission  which  they  were  enabled 
to  manifest  in  those  times  of  trial,  and 
the  sacrifices  which  they  were  enabled 
to  make.  They  may  find  in  such 
things  evidence  that  they  are  the 
children  of  God;  and  they  should  find 
in  their  past  experience  proof  that  he 
who  has  borne  them  through  past 
trials,  is  able  to  keep  them  unto  his 
everlasting  kingdom. 

(12.)  We  need  patience — but  it  is 
only  for  a  little  time.  Vs.  36 — 39. 
Soon  all  our  confiicts  will  be  over. 
'  He  that  shall  come  will  come  and 
will  not  tarry.'  He  will  come  to  de- 
liver his  suffering  people  from  all 
their  trials.  He  will  come  to  rescue 
the  persecuted  from  the  persecutor ; 
the  oppressed  from  the  oppressor ;  the 
down-trodden  from  the  tyrant ;  and 
the  sorrowtiil  and  sad  from  their  woes. 
The  coming  of  the  Saviour  to  each 
one  of  the  afflicted  is  the  signal  of  re- 
lease from  sorrow,  and  his  advent  at 
the  end  of  the  world  will  be  proof 
that  all  the  trials  of  the  bleeding  and 
persecuted  church  are  at  an  end.  The 
time  too  is  short  before  he  will  appear. 
In  each  individual  case  it  is  to  be  but 
a  brief  period  before  he  will  come  to 
relieve  the  sufferer  from  his  woes, 
and  in  the  case  of  the  church  at 
large  the  time  is  not  far  remote  when 
the  Great  Deliverer  shall  appear  to 
receive  '  the  bride,'  the  church  re- 
deemed, to  the  '  mansions '  which  he 
has  gone  to  prepare. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

ANALYSIS  OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

In  the  close  of  the  previous  chap- 
ter, the  apostle  had  incidentally  made 
mention  of  faith  (vs.  38,  39),  and 
said  that  the  just  should  live  by  faith. 
The  object  of  the  whole  argument  in 
this  epistle  v/as  to  keep  those  to  whom 
it  was  addressed  from  apostatizing 
22 


evidence 
seen. 


of      things    "    not 


1  or,  ground,  or,  confidence, 
a  Ro.  8.  24,  25. 


from  the  Christian  religion,  and  es- 
pccially  from  relapsing  again  into 
Judaism.  They  were  in  the  midst 
of  trials,  and  were  evidently  suffering 
some  form  of  persecution,  the  tenden- 
cy  of  which  was  to  expose  them  to 
the  danger  of  relapsing.  The  indis- 
pensable means  of  securing  them  from 
apostasy  was  faith,  and  with  a  view 
to  show  its  efficacy  in  this  respect, 
the  apostle  goes  into  an  extended  ac- 
count  of  its  nature  and  effects,  occu- 
pying  this  entire  chapter.  As  the 
persons  whom  he  addressed  had  been 
Hebrews,  and  as  the  Old  Testament 
contained  an  account  of  numerous 
instances  of  persons  in  substantially 
the  same  circumstances  in  which  they 
were,  the  reference  is  made  to  the 
illustrious  examples  of  the  efficacv  of 
faith  in  the  Jewish  history.  The  ob- 
jeet  is,  to  show  that  faith,  or  confi. 
dence  in  the  divine  promises,  has  been 
in  all  ages  the  means  of  perseverance 
in  the  true  religion,  and  consequently 
of  salvation.  In  this  chapter,  there- 
fore, the  apostle  first  describes  or  de- 
fines the  nature  of  faith  (ver.  1 ),  and 
then  illustrates  its  efficacy  and  power 
by  reference  to  numerous  instances. 
Vs.  2 — 40.  In  these  illustrations  he 
refers  to  the  steady  belief  which  wc 
have  that  God  made  the  worlds,  and 
then  to  the  examples  of  Abel,  Enoch, 
Noah,  Abraham,  Sarah,  Isaac,  Jacob, 
Joseph,  Moses,  and  Rahab  in  particu- 
lar, and  then  to  numerous  other  exam- 
ples without  mentioning  their  names. 
The  object  is  to  show  tliat  there  is 
power  in  faith  to  keep  the  mind  and 
heart  in  the  midst  of  trials,  and  that 
having  these  examples  before  them, 
those  whom  he  addressed  should  con- 
tinue to  adhere  steadfastly  to  the 
profession  of  the  true  religion. 

I.  Noio  faith  is  the  substance  of 
things  hoped  for.  On  the  general  na- 
ture of  faith,  see  Notes  on  Mark  xvi. 
IG.  The  margin  here  is,  'ground  or 
corifidence.''     There   is   scaicely  anv 


254 


HEBREWS. 


[A. D.  04 


verse  of  the  New  Testament  more  | 
im])ortant  tliun  this,  lur  it  states  what  ' 
is  the  nature  of  all  true  faith,  and  is 
the  only  dclinitiuu  of  it  wliich  is  at- 
tempted in  the  Scriptures.  Eternal 
lilc  depends  on  tlie  existence  and  ex- 
ercise of  faith  (Mark  xvi.  16),  and 
hence  the  iniport.incc  of  an  accurate 
understanding  of  its  nature.  The 
word  rendered  substance — Indaraats — 
occurs  in  the  New  Testament  only  in 
the  followin;r  ])idces.  In  II.  Cor.  ix. 
4;  xi.  17;  llib.  iii.  14,  where  it  is 
rendered  confident  and  confidence; 
and  in  Heb.  i.  3,  where  it  is  rendered 
person,  and  in  tiie  p.issagc  before  us. 
Comp.  Notes  on  cli.  i.  3.  Prof.  Stuart 
renders  it  here  confidence ;  Chrysos- 
tom,  "  Faith  gives  reality  or  substance 
to  things  liopetl  for."  The  word  pro- 
perly means  that  which  is  placed  un- 
der {GcrmMnterstellen);  then  ground, 
basis,  foundation,  support.  Then  it 
means  also  reality,  substance,  exist- 
ence, in  contradistinction  from  that 
which  is  unreal,  imaginary,  or  decep- 
tive (t'duschung).  Fassow.  It  seems  to 
me,  therefore,  that  the  word  here  has 
reference  to  something  which  imparts 
reality  in  the  view  of  the  mind  to 
those  things  which  are  not  seen,  and 
which  serves  to  distinguish  them  from 
those  things  whicli  are  unreal  and  il- 
lusive. It  is  that  which  enables  us 
to  feel  and  act  as  if  they  were  real, 
or  wiiieli  causes  them  to  exert  an  in- 
fluence over  us  as  if  we  saw  them. 
Faith  does  this  on  all  other  subjcets 
as  well  as  religion.  A  belief  tliat 
there  is  such  a  place  as  London  or 
Calcutta,  leads  us  to  act  as  if  this 
were  so,  if  we  iiavc  occasion  to  go  lo 
either ;  a  belief  tliat  money  may  be 
made  in  a  certain  undertaking,  leads 
men  to  act  as  if  tliis  were  so ;  a  be- 
lief in  the  veracity  of  another  leads 
us  to  act  as  if  this  were  so.  As  long 
as  the  faith  continues,  wiiether  it  be 
well-founded  or  not,  it  gives  all  the 
force  of  reality  to  that  which  is  be- 
lieved. We  leel  and  act  just  as  if 
it  were  so,  or  as  if  we  saw  the  object 
before  our  eyes.  Tliis,  I  think,  is  the 
clear  meaning  here.  We  do  not  see 
tlie  tilings  of  eternity.     We  do  not 


see  God,  or  heaven,  or  the  angels,  or 
the  redeemed  in  glory,  or  t!ic  crowns 
of  victory,  or  the  harps  of  praise  ;  but 
we  have  faith  in  them,  and  this  leads 
us  to  act  as  if  we  saw  them.  And 
this  is,  undoubtedly,  the  fact  in  re- 
gard to  all  who  live  by  faith  and  who 
are  fairly  under  its  influence.  ^  Of 
things  hoped  for.  In  heaven.  Faith 
gives  them  reality  in  the  view  of  the 
mind.  The  Christian  hopes  to  be  ad- 
mitted into  heaven ;  to  be  raised  up 
in  the  last  day  from  the  slumbers  of 
tiie  tomb,  to  be  made  perfectly  free 
from  sin ;  to  be  everlastingly  happy. 
Under  the  influence  of  faith  he  allows 
these  things  to  control  his  mind  as 
if  they  were  a  most  affecting  reality. 
IT  The  evidence  of  things  not  seen.  Of 
the  existence  of  God  ;  of  heaven ;  of 
angels ;  of  the  glories  of  the  world 
prepared  for  the  redeemed.  The  word 
rendered  evidence — cXcyxoi — occurs  in 
the  New  Testament  only  in  this  place 
and  in  II.  Tim.  iii.  16,  where  it  is 
rendered  reproof.  It  means  properly 
proof,  or  means  of  proving,  to  wit, 
evidence  ;  then  proof  which  convinces 
another  of  error  or  guilt ;  then  vindi- 
cation, or  defence  ;  then  summary  or 
contents.  See  Passow.  The  idea  of 
evidence  which  goes  to  demonstrate 
the  tiling  under  consideration,  or 
which  is  adapted  to  produce  convic 
tion  in  the  mind,  seems  to  be  the  ele- 
mentary idea  in  the  word.  So  when 
a  proposition  is  demonstrated  ;  when 
a  man  is  arraigned  and  evidence  is 
furnished  of  his  guilt,  or  when  he 
establishes  his  innocence ;  or  when 
one  by  argument  refutes  his  adversa- 
ries,  the  idea  of  convincing  argument 
enters  into  the  use  of  the  word  ia 
oach  case.  This,  I  think,  is  clearly 
the  meaning  of  tiie  word  here.  '  Faith 
in  the  divine  declarations  answers  all 
tlie  purposes  of  a  convincing  argu- 
ment,  or  is  itself  a  convincing  argu- 
ment to  tlie  mind,  of  the  real  exist- 
ence of  those  tilings  which  are  not 
seen.'  But  is  it  a  good  argument? 
Is  it  rational  to  rely  on  such  a  means 
of  being  convinced  ?  Is  mere  faith  a 
consideration  which  should  ever  con- 
vince a  rational  mind  ?     The  infidel 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XT, 


255 


2  For  by  it  the   elders   ob- 
tained a  good  report. 


says  no  ;  and  we  know  there  may  be 
a  faith  which  is  no  argument  of  the 
truth  of  what  is  believed.  But  when 
a  man  who  has  never  seen  it  believes 
that  there  is  such  a  place  as  London, 
his  belief  in  the  numerous  testimonies 
respectingf  it  which  he  has  heard  and 
read  is  to  his  mind  a  good  and  ra- 
tional proof  of  its  existence,  and  he 
would  act  on  that  belief  without  hesi- 
tation. When  a  son  credits  the  de- 
claration or  the  promise  of  a  father 
who  has  never  deceived  him,  and  acts 
as  though  that  declaration  and  pro- 
mise were  true,  his  faith  is  to  him  a 
ground  of  conviction  and  of  actioi}, 
and  he  will  act  as  if  these  things  were 
80.     In  like  manner  the  Christian  be- 


lieves what  God  says.  He  has  never' 
seen  heaven ;  he  has  never  seen  an 
angel ;  he  has  never  seen  the  Re- 
deemer ;  he  has  never  seen  a  body 
raised  from  the  grave.  But  he  has 
evidence  which  is  satisfactory  to  his 
mind  that  God  has  spoken  on  these 
subjects,  and  his  very  nature  prompts 
him  to  confide  in  the  declarations  of 
his  Creator.  Those  declarations  are 
to  his  mind  more  convincing  proof 
than  anything  else  would  be.  They 
are  more  conclusive  evidence  than 
would  be  the  deductions  of  his  own 
reason ;  far  better  and  more  rational 
than  all  the  reasonings  and  declara- 
tions of  the  infidel  to  the  contrary. 
He  feels  and  acts,  therefore,  as  if 
these  things  were  so — tor  his  faith  in 
the  declarations  of  God  has  convinced 
him  that  they  are  so. — The  object  of 
the  apostle,  in  this  chapter,  is  not  to 
illustrate  the  nature  of  what  is  called 
saving  faith,  but  to  show  the  power 
of  unwavering  confidence  in  God  in 
Bustaining  the  soul,  especially  in  times 
of  trial ;  and  particularly  in  leading 
us  to  act  in  view  of  promises  and  of 
things  not  seen  as  if  they  were  so. 
Saving  faith'  is  the  same  kind  of 
confidence  directed  to  the  Messiah — 
the  Lord  Jesus — as  the  Saviour  of  the 
Koul. 


3  Through  faith  we  under- 
stand "  that    the    worlds    were 

a  Ge.  1.  1;  Ps.  33.6. 

2.  For  by  it.  That  is,  by  that  faith 
which  gives  reality  to  things  hoped 
for,  and  a  certain  persuasion  to  the 
mind  of  the  existence  of  ti)ose  things 
which  are  not  seen.  T  The  elders. 
The  ancients  ;  the  Hebrew  patriarchs 
and  fathers.  T  Obtained  a  good  re. 
port.  Literally,  '  were  witnessed  of;' 
that  is,  an  honourable  testimony  was 
borne  to  them  in  consequence  of  their 
faith.  The  idea  is,  that  their  acting 
under  the  influence  of  faith,  in  the 
circumstances  in  which  they  were, 
was  tlie  ground  of  the  honourable  tes- 
timony which  was  borne  to  them  in 
the  Old  Testament.  See  this  use  of 
the  word  in  ch.  vii.  8,  and  in  ver.  4 
of  this  chapter.  Also  Luke  iv.  22 ; 
Acts  XV.  8.  In  the  cases  which  the 
apostle  proceeds  to  enumerate  in  the 
subsequeitt  part  of  the  chapter,  he 
mentions  those  whose  piety  is  parti- 
cularly commended  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  who  showed  in  trying  cir- 
cumstances that  they  had  unwavering 
confidence  in  God. 

3.  Through  faith,  we  vudrrstand 
that  the  worlds  were  framed.  The 
first  instance  of  the  strength  of  faith 
which  the  apostle  refers  to  is  that  by 
which  we  give  credence  to  the  decla- 
rations in  the  Scriptures  about  the 
work  of  creation.  Gen.  i.  L  This  is 
selected  first,  evidently  because  it  is 
the  first  thing  that  occurs  in  the  Bi- 
ble,  or  is  the  first  thing  there  narra- 
ted in  relation  to  which  there  is  the 
exercise  of  faith.  He  points  to  no 
particular  instance  in  which  this  faith 
was  exercised — for  none  is  especially 
mentioned — but  refers  to  it  as  an  il- 
lustration of  the  nature  of  faith  which 
every  one  miglit  observe  in  him- 
self.  The  faith  here  exercised  is 
confidence  in  the  truth  of  the  divine 
declarations  in  regard  to  the  creation. 
The  meaning  is,  that  our  knowledge 
on  this  subject  is  a  mere  matter  of 
faith  in  the  divine  testimony.  It  is 
not  that  we  could  reason  this  out,  and 
demonstrate  that  the  worlds  were  thus 


256 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  61. 


framed  by  th&word  of  God,  so  ]  not   made  of  things  which  do 
that  things  which  are  seen  were 


made;  it  is  not  tliat  prolane  liistory 
goes  back  to  that  period  and  informs 
us  of  it;  it  is  simply  tliat  C»od  has 
told  us  so  in  his  word.  The  strength 
of  the  faith  in  this  case  is  measured 
(1)  by  the  fact  that  it  is  tnere.  faith — 
that  there  is  nothing  else  on  which 
to  rely  in  the  case,  and  (2)  by  the 
greatness  of  the  trutli  believed.  After 
all  the  acts  of  faith  which  have  ever 
been  exercised  in  tliis  world,  perhaps 
there  is  none  which  is  really  more 
strong,  or  which  requires  higher  confi- 
dence in  God,  than  the  declaration  that 
this  vast  universe  has  been  brought 
into  existence  by  a  word  !  ^  We  un- 
derstand. We  attain  to  the  apprehen- 
sion of;  we  receive  and  comprehend 
the  idea.  Our  knowledge  of  tliis  fact 
is  deriwd  only  from  faith,  and  not 
from  our  own  reasoning.  H  That  the 
worlds.  In  Gen.  i.  1,  it  is  '  the  hea- 
ven and  the  eartli.'  The  phrase  which 
tlie  apostle  uses  denotes  a  plurality  of 
worlds,  and  is  proof  that  he  supposed 
there  were  other  worlds  besides  our 
earth.  How  far  his  knowledge  ex- 
tended on  this  point,  we  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining,  but  there  is 
no  reason  to  doubt  tiiat  he  regarded 
the  stars  as  '  worlds'  in  some  respects 
like  our  own-  On  the  meaning  of 
the  Greek  word  used  here,  see  Notes 
on  ch.  i.  2.  >  Tiie  plural  form  is  used 
there  also,  and  in  both  cases,  it  seems 
to  me,  not  without  design.  IT  Were 
framed.  It  is  observable  that  the 
apostle  does  not  here  use  the  word 
make  or  create.  That  which  he  does 
use — KarapTi^fo — means  to  put  in  or- 
der, to  arrange,  to  complete,  and  may 
be  applied  to  that  which  before  had 
an  existence,  and  which  is  to  be  put 
in  order,  or  re-fittcd.  Matt.  iv.  24 ; 
Mark  i.  19  ;  Matt.  xxi.  G  ;  Heb.  x.  5  ; 
The  meaning  here  is,  that  they  were 
set  in  order  by  the  word  of  God. 
This  implies  the  act  of  creation,  but 
the  specific  idea  is  that  of  arraniring 
them  in  the  beautiful  order  in  which 
they  are  now.  Doddridge  renders  it 
^ndiusted.^     Kuinoel,   however,   sup- 


appear. 


poses  that  the  word  is  used  here  in 
the  sense  of  form,  or  make.  It  has 
probably  about  the  meaning  which 
we  attach  to  the  plirasc  ^Jltting  up 
anythincr^''  as,  for  example,  a  dwelling, 
and  includes  all  the  previous  arrange- 
ments, though  the  thing  which  is  par- 
ticularly denoted  is  not  the  making, 
but  the  arrangement.  So  in  the  work 
here  referred  to.  '  We  arrive  at  the 
conviction  that  the  universe  was  ^/it- 
ted  up  or  arranged  in  the  present 
manner  by  the  word  of  God.'  IT  By 
the  word  of  God.  This  does  not  jnean 
here,  by  the  Logos,  or  the  second  per- 
son of  the  Trinity,  for  Paul  does  not 
use  that  term  here  or  elsewhere.  The 
word  which  he  employs  is  pnna — rema 
— meaning  properly  a  word  spoken, 
and  in  this  place  command.  Comp. 
Gen.  i.  3.  6.  9.  11.  14.  20 ;  Ps.  xxxiii. 
6.  "  By  the  word  of  the  Lord  were 
the  heavens  made ;  and  all  the  host 
of  them  by  the  breath  of  his  mouth." 
In  regard  to  the  agency  of  the  Son 
of  God  in  the  work  of  tlve  creation, 
see  Notes  on  ch.  i.  2  ;  comp.  Notes  on 
John  i.  3.  T  So  that  things  which  are 
seen.  The  point  of  the  remark  here 
is,  that  the  visible  creation  was  not 
moulded  out  of  pre-existing  materials, 
but  was  made  out  of  nothing.  In 
reference  to  the  grammatical  con- 
straction  of  the  passage,  see  Stuart, 
Comm.  in  loc.  The  doctrine  taught 
is,  that  matter  was  not  eternal ;  that 
the  materials  of  the  universe,  as  well 
as  tlic  arrangement,  were  formed  by 
God,  and  that  all  this  was  done  by  a 
simple  command.  The  argument  here, 
so  far  as  it  is  adapted  to  the  purpose 
of  the  apostle,  seems  to  be,  that  there 
was  notliing  w^hich  appeared,  or  which 
was  to  be  seen,  that  could  lay  the 
foundation  of  a  belief  that  God  made 
the  worlds;  and  in  like  manner  our 
faith  now  is  not  to  be  based  on  what 
"■appears,^  by  which  we  could  infer  or 
reason  out  what  w'ould  be,  but  that 
we  must  exercise  strong  confidence 
in  Ilim  who  had  power  to  create  the 
universe  out  of  nothing.     If  this  vast 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


257 


4  By  faith  Abel  "  offered  unto 
God  a  more  excellent  sacrifice 
than  Cain,  by  which  he  obtain- 

a  Ge.  4.  4,  5.  i  or,  is  yet  spoken  of. 


ed  witness  that  he  was  righte- 
ous, God  testifying  of  his  gifts  : 
and  by  it  he,  being  dead,  '  yet 
speaketh. 


universe  has  been  called  into  exist- 
ence by  the  mere  word  of  God,  there 
is  nothing  which  we  may  not  believe 
he  has  ample  power  to  perform. 

4.  By  faith,  Abel  offered.  See  Gen. 
iv.  4,  5.  In  the  account  in  Genesis 
of  the  offering-  made  by  Abel,  there  is 
no  mention  o£  faith — as  is  true  also 
indeed  of  most  of  the  instances  re- 
ferred to  by  the  apostle.  The  account 
in  Genesis  is,  simply,  that  Abel 
"  brouglit  of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock, 
and  the  fat  thereof,  and  that  the  Lord 
had  respect  to  Abel  and  his  offering." 
Men  have  speculated  much  as  to  the 
reason  why  the  offering  of  Abel  was 
accepted  and  that  of  Cain  rejected ; 
but  such  speculation  rests  on  no  cer- 
tain basis,  and  the  solution  of  the 
apostle  should  be  regarded  as  decisive 
and  satisfactory,  tliat  in  the  one  case 
there  was  faith,  in  the  other  not.  It 
could  not  have  been  because  an  offer- 
ing of  the  fruits  of  the  ground  was  not 
pleasing  to  God,  for  such  an  offering 
was  commanded  under  the  Jewish 
law,  and  was  not  in  itself  improper. 
Both  the  brothers  selected  that  which 
was  to  them  most  obvious ;  which 
they  had  reared  vs^ith  their  ov?n  hands  ; 
which  they  regarded  as  most  valua- 
ble. Cain  liad  cultivated  the  earth, 
and  he  naturally  brought  what  had 
grown  under  his  care ;  Abel  kept  a 
flock,  and  he  as  naturally  brought 
what  he  had  raised  :  and  had  the  tem- 
per of  mind  in  both  been  the  same, 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the 
offering  of  each  would  have  been  ac- 
cepted. To  this  conclusion  we  are 
led  by  the  nature  of  the  case,  and  the 
apostle  advances  substantially  the 
same  sentiment,  for  he  says  that  the 
particular  state  of  mind  on  which  the 
wliole  turned  was,  that,  the  one  had 
faith  and  the  other  not.  JIow  the 
apostle  himself  was  informed  of  the 
fact  that  it  was  faith  which  made  the 
difference,  he  has  not  informed  us. 
22* 


The  belief  that  he  was  inspired  will, 
however,  relieve  the  subject  of  this 
difficulty,  for  according  to  such  a  be- 
lief, all  his  statements  here,  whether 
recorded  in  the  Old  Testament  or  not, 
are  founded  in  truth.  It  is  equally 
impossible  to  tell  with  certainty  what 
was  the  nature  of  the  faith  of  Abel. 
It  has  been  commonly  asserted  that 
it  was  faith  in  Christ — looking  for- 
ward to  his  coming,  and  depending 
on  his  sacrifice  when  offering  that 
which  was  to  be  a  type  of  him.  But 
of  this  there  is  no  positive  evidence, 
though  from  Heb.  xii.  24,  it  seems  to 
be  not  improbable.  Sacrifice,  as  a 
type  of  the  Redeemer's  great  offer- 
ing, was  instituted  early  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world.  There  can  be 
no  reason  assigned  for  the  offering  of 
blood  as  an  atonement  for  sin,  except 
that  it  had  originally  a  reference  to 
the  great  atonement  which  was  to  be 
made  by  blood  ;  and  as  the  salvation 
of  man  depended  on  this  entirely,  it 
is  probable  that  that  would  be  one  of 
the  truths  which  would  be  first  com- 
municated  to  man  after  the  fall.  The 
bloody  offbring  of  Abel  is  the  first 
of  the  kind  which  is  definitely  men- 
tioned in  the  Scriptures  (tliough  it 
is  not  improbable  that  such  sacri- 
fices  were  otfered  by  Adam,  comp. 
Gen.  iii.  21),  and  consequently  Abel 
may  be  regarded  as  the  recorded  head 
of  the  whole  typical  system,  of  lohich 
Christ  was  the  antitype  and  the  fulfil- 
ment. Comp.  Notes  ch.  xii.  24.  ^  A 
more  excellent  sacrifice.  nXtiova  S^vaiav 
— as  rendered  by  Tindal,  '  more  plen 
teous  sacrifice  ;'  or  as  VVickliff"  ren- 
ders  it  more  literally,  '  a  much  more 
sacrifice  ;'  that  is,  a  more  full  or  com- 
plete sacrifice  ;  a  better  sacrifice.  The 
meaning  is,  that  it  had  in  it  much 
more  to  render  it  acceptable  to  God. 
In  the  estimate  of  its  value,  the  views 
of  him  who  offered  it  would  be  more 
to  be  regarded  than  the  nature  of  the 


258 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


offering  itself.  '  tiy  which.  By  which 
Baciificu  80  offered.  The  way  in  which 
he  obtained   tlie   testimony  of  divine 
approbation  was  by  the  sacrifice  of- 
fered   in    tiiis    manner.     It    was  not 
merely  by  faith,  it  was  l)y  the  offering 
of  a  sacrifice  in  connexion  with,  and 
under  the  influence  of  faith.     1i    He 
obtained  witness  that  he  was  righteous. 
That    is,    from    God.     His    offering 
made  in  faith  was  the  means  of  liis 
obtaining-  the  divine  testimonial  that 
he    was    a    righteous    man.     Cornp. 
Notes  on  ver.  2.     This  is  implied  in 
what  is  said  in  Gen.  iv.  4.    "  And  the 
Lord  had  respect  unto  Abel  and  his 
offering ;"  that  is,  he  regarded  it  as 
the    offering    of    a    righteous    man. 
IT  God  testifyina:  of  his  gifts.  In  what 
way  tliis  was  done  is  not  mentioned 
either  here  or  in  Genesis.     Commen- 
tators   iiave  usually  supposed  that  it 
was  by  fire  descending  from  heaven 
to  consume  the  sacrifice.     But  there 
is  no  evidence  of  this,  for  there  is  no 
intimation  of  it  in  the  Bible.     It  is 
true    that    this    frequently    occurred 
when  an  offering  was  made  to  God, 
(see  Gen.  xv.  17  ;  Lev.  ix.  24  ;  Judges 
vi.  21  ;  I.  Kings   xviii.  38),   but  the 
sacred  writers  give  us  no  hint  that 
this  happened  in  the  case  of  tlie  sacri- 
fice made  by  Abel,  and  since  it  is  ex- 
pressly mentioned  in  other  cases  and 
not  iiere,  the  presumption  rather  is 
that  no  such  miracle  occurred  on  the 
occasion.     So  remarkable  a  fact — the 
first  one  in  all  history  if  it  v.'cre  so — 
could  liardly  have  failed  to  be  noticed 
by  the    sacred   writer.     It  seems   to 
me,  therefore,  that  there   was  some 
method  by  which  God  '  testified'  his 
approbation  of  the   offering  of  Abel 
which  is  unknown  to  us,  but  in   re- 
gard   to   what    it  was    conjecture  is 
vain.    If  And  by  it  he,  being  dead,  yet 
speakelh.     Marg.     Is    yr.l    spoken   of. 
Tills  ditfercn^!  of  translation  arises 
from  a  difference  of  reading  in  tlie 
MSS.     Tliat  from  which  the  transla- 
tion in  the  text  is  derived,  is  \i\h — 
he   spcnkfth.     Tiiat   from   which   the 
rendering  in  the  margin  is  derived,  is 
AuAcirai — is  spoken  of;  that  is,  is  prais- 
ed or  commended.     The  latter  is  the 


common  reading  in  the  Greek  texl^ 
and    is  found   in  Walton,   Wetstein, 
Miitthoei,    Tittnian,    and    Mill ;     the 
former    is     adopted     by    Griesbach, 
Koppc,  Knapp,  Grotius,    Hammond, 
Storr,     Rosenmiiller,     Prof.    Stuart, 
Bloomfield,  and  Hahn,  and  is  found 
I  in  the  Syriac  and  Cojitic,  and  is  that 
which    is    favoured  by  most   of  the 
I  Fatliers.      See    Wetstein.      The   au- 
thority  of  MSS.  is  in  flivour  of  the 
reading  XaXtirai — is  spoken  of.     It  is 
impossible  in  this  variety  of  opinion 
to  determine  which  is  the  true  read- 
ing,   and    this    is    one    of  the   cases 
where  the  original  text  must  probably 
be  for  ever  undecided.     Happily  no 
important  doctrine  or  duty  is  depend- 
ing on  it.     Either  of  the  modes  of 
reading  will  give  a  good  sense.     The 
apostle  is  saying  that  it  is  by  faith 
that  the  'elders  liave  obtained  a  good 
report'  (ver.  2) ;  he  had  said  (ver.  4), 
that  it  was  by  faith  that  Abel  obtain, 
ed  the  testimony  of  God  in  his  favour, 
and  if  the  reading  '  is  spoken  oP  be 
adopted,   the  apostle   means    that  in 
consequence    of    that    offering    thus 
made,    Abel    continued    even    to  his 
time  to  receive  an  honourable  men- 
tion.     This  act  was  commended  still ; 
and  the  'good  report'  of  which  it  had 
been  tlie  occasion,  had  been  transmit- 
ted from  age  to  age.     A  sentiment 
thus  of  great  beauty  and  value  w/y 
be  derived    from   the  passage  —  that 
true  piety  is  the  occasion  of  trans- 
mitting a  good  report — or  an  honour- 
able   reputation,    even    down    to  the 
latest  generation.     It  is  that  which 
will  embalm  the  memory  in  tlie  grate- 
ful recollection  of  mankind  ;  that  on 
which  they  will  reflect  with  pleasure, 
and  wliieh  they  will  love  to  transmit 
to  future  ages.    But  after  all,  it  seems 
to  me  to  be   probable  that  the  true 
sentiment   in    this    passage    is    that 
which   is  expressed  in  the  common 
version,  '  he  yet  spcaketh.'     The  rea- 
sons are  briefly  these.     (1.)  The  au- 
tiiorily  of  .MSS.,  versions, editions,  and 
critics,  is  so  nearly  equal,  that  it  is 
impossible  from  this  source  to  deter- 
mine  the  true  reading,  and  we  must, 
therefore,   form   our  judgment  from 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


259 


the  connexion.  (2.)  The  apostle  had 
twice  in  this  vei  ic  expressed  substan- 
tially the  idea  that  he  was  honourably 
testified  of  by  his  faith,  and  it  is 
hardly  probable  that  he  would  again 
repeat  it  so  soon.  (3.)  There  seems 
to  be  an  allusion  here  to  the  language 
used  respecting  Abel  (Gen.  iv.  10), 
"The  voice  of  thy  brother's  blood 
crieth  unto  me  from  the  ground ;" — 
or  utters  a  distinct  voice  —  and  the 
apostle  seems  to  design  to  represent 
Abel  as  still  speaking.  (4.)  In  Heb. 
xii.  24,  he  represents  both  Abel  and 
Christ  as  still  speaking — as  if  Abel 
continued  to  utter  a  voice  of  admoni- 
tion. The  reference  there  is  to  the 
fact  that  he  continued  to  proclaim 
from  age  to  age,  even  to  the  time  of 
the  apostle,  the  great  truth  that  salva- 
tion was  only  hij  blood.  He  had  pro- 
claimed it  at  first  by  his  faith  when  he 
offered  the  sacrifice  of  the  lamb  ;  he 
continued  to  speak  from  generation 
to  generation,  and  to  show  that  it 
was  one  of  the  earliest  principles  of 
religion  that  there  could  be  redemp- 
tion from  sin  in  no  other  way.  (5.) 
The  expression  '  yet  speaketh^  accords 
better  with  the  connexion.  The  other 
interpretation  is  cold  compared  with 
this,  and  less  fits  the  case  before  us. 
Of  the  faith  of  Noah,  Abraham,  and 
Moses,  it  might  be  said  with  equal 
propriety  that  it  is  still  commended 
or  celebrated  as  well  as  that  of  Abel, 
but  the  apostle  evidently  means  to  say 
that  there  was  a  voice  in  that  of  Abel 
which  was  peculiar;  there  was  some- 
thing in  his  life  and  character  which 
continued  to  speak  from  age  to  age. 
His  sacrifice,  his  faith,  his  death,  his 
blood,  till  continued  to  lift  up  the 
voice,  and  to  proclaim  the  excellence 
and  value  of  confidence  in  God,  and 
to  admonish  the  world  how  to  live. 
(6.)  This  accords  with  usage  in  clas- 
sic writers,  where  it  is  common  to  say 
of  the  dead  that  they  continue  to 
speak.     Comp.  Virg.  -^n.  vi.  618. 

Et  maena  testatur  voce  per  umbras  : 
Discite  jiistitiani  moniti,  et  noii  temnere 
Divos. 

If  this  be  the  true  meaning,  then  the 
sense   is,  tliat  there  is  an  influence 


from  the  piety  of  Abel  which  con- 
tinues to  admonish  all  coming  ages 
of  the  value  of  religion,  and  especially 
of  the  great  doctrine  of  the  necessity 
of  an  atonement  by  blood.  His  faith 
and  his  sacrifice  proclaimed  from  age 
to  age  that  this  was  one  of  the  first 
great  truths  made  known  to  fallen 
man ;  and  on  this  he  continues  to 
address  the  world  as  if  he  were  still 
living.  Thus  all  who  are  pious  con- 
tinue to  exert  an  influence  in  favour 
of  religion  long  after  the  soul  is  re- 
moved  to  heaven,  and  the  body  con- 
signed to  the  grave.  This  is  true  in 
the  following  respects.  (1.)  They 
speak  by  their  example.  The  exam- 
ple of  a  pious  father,  mother,  neigh- 
bour, will  be  remembered.  It  v/ill 
often  have  an  effect  after  their  death 
in  influencing  those  over  whom  it  had 
little  control  wiiile  living.  (2.)  They 
continue  to  speak  by  their  precepts. 
The  precepts  of  a  father  may  be  re- 
membered, with  profit,  when  he  is 
in  his  grave,  though  they  were  heard 
with  indifference  when  he  lived  ;  the 
counsels  of  a  minister  may  be  recol- 
lected with  benefit  though  they  were 
heard  with  scorn.  (3.)  They  con- 
tinue to  speak  from  the  fact  that  the 
good  are  remembered  with  increasing 
respect  and  honour  as  long  as  they 
are  remembered  at  all.  The  charac- 
ter of  Abel,  Noah,  and  Abraham,  is 
brighter  now  than  it  was  when  they 
lived,  and  will  continue  to  grow 
brighter  to  the  end  of  time.  '  The 
name  of  the  wicked  will  rot,'  and  the 
influence  which  they  had  when  living 
will  grow  feebler  and  feebler  till  it 
wholly  dies  away.  Howard  will  be 
remembered,  and  will  proclaim  from 
age  to  age  the  excellence  of  a  life  of 
benevolence ;  the  character  of  Nero, 
Caligula,  and  Richard  III,  has  long 
since  ceased  to  exert  any  influence 
whatever  in  favour  of  evil,  but  ra- 
ther shows  the  world,  by  contrast,  the 
excellence  of  virtue ; — and  the  same 
will  yet  be  true  of  Paine,  and  Voltaire, 
and  Byron,  and  Gibbon,  and  Hume. 
The  time  will  come  when  they  shall 
cease  lo  exert  any  influence  in  favour 
of  infidelity  and  &in,  and  when  the 


200 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


5  By  faith  Enoch "  was  trans- 

a  Ge.  5.  22.  24. 

world  shall  be  so  satisfied  of  the  error 
of  their  sentiments,  and  tjjc  abuse  of 
tlicir  talents,  and  the  corruption  of 
their  hearts,  that  their  names,  by  con- 
trast, will  be  made  to  promote  the 
cause  of  piety  and  virtue.  If  a  man 
wishes  to  exert  any  permanent  influ- 
ence at\er  he  is  dead,  he  should  be  a 
good  man. — The  strength  of  the  faith 
of  Abel  here  com  mended,  will  be  seen 
by  a  reference  to  a  few  circumstan- 
ces. (1.)  It  was  manifested  sliortly 
after  the  apostasy,  and  not  long  after 
the  fearful  sentence  had  been  pro- 
nounced in  view  of  the  sin  of  man. 
The  serpent  had  been  cursed ;  the 
earth  had  been  cursed  ;  woe  had  been 
denounced  on  the  mother  of  mankind  ; 
and  the  father  of  the  apostate  race, 
and  all  his  posterity  doomed  to  toil 
and  death.  I'lie  thunder  of  this  curse 
had  scarcely  died  away ;  man  had 
been  ejected  from  Paradise  and  sent 
out  to  enter  on  his  career  of  woes, 
and  the  earth  was  trembling  mider  the 
malediction,  and  yet  Abel  maintained 
his  confidence  in  God.  (2.)  There 
was  then  little  truth  revealed,  and 
only  the  slightest  intimation  of  mercy. 
The  promise  in  Gen.  iii.  15,  that  the 
seed  of  the  woman  should  bruise  the 
head  of  the  serpent,  is  so  enigmatical 
and  obscure  that  it  is  not  easy  even 
now  to  see  its  exact  meaning,  and  it 
cannot  be  supposed  that  Abel  could 
have  had  a  full  understanding  of  what 
was  denoted  by  it.  Yet  this  appears 
to  have  been  all  the  truth  respecting 
the  salvation  of  man  then  revealed, 
and  on  this  Abel  maintained  his  faitli 
steadfast  in  God.  (3.)  Abel  liad  an 
elder  brother,  undoubtedly  an  infidel, 
a  scoffer,  a  mocker  of  religion,  lie 
was  evidently  endowed  witii  a  talent 
for  sarcasm,  (Gen.  iv.  9),  and  tliero  is 
no  reason  to  doubt,  that,  like  other  in- 
fidels and  scotiers,  lie  would  be  dis- 
posed to  use  that  talent  wiien  occa- 
sion offered,  to  liold  up  religion  to 
contempt.  The  power  with  wliich  he 
used  this,  and  the  talent  witli  which 


lated  that  he    should    not   see 
death ;  and  was  not  found,  be- 

hc  did  this,  may  be  seen  illustrated  ^B 
probably  with  melancholy  fidelity  in  ^ 
Lord  Byron's  "  Cain."  iVo  man  ever 
lived  wlio  could  more  forcibly  express 
the  feelings  that  passed  through  the 
mind  of  Cain — for  there  is  too  much 
reason  to  think  that  his  extraordinary 
talents  were  employed  on  this  occa- 
sion to  give  vent  to  the  feelings  of  his 
own  heart  in  the  sentiments  put  into 
the  mouth  of  Cain.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing the  infidelity  of  his  elder 
brother,  Abel  adhered  to  God  and  his 
cause.  Whatever  influence  that  in- 
fidel  brother  might  have  sought  to 
use  over  liim — and  there  can  be  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  sucli  an  influence 
would  be  attempted — yet  he  never 
swerved,  but  maintained  with  stead- 
fastness his  belief  in  rchgion,  and  his 
faith  in  God. 

5.  By  faith  Enoch  was  translated. 
The  account  of  Enoch  is  found  in 
Gen.  V.  21 — 24.  It  is  very  brief,  and 
is  this,  that '  Enoch  walked  with  God, 
and  was  not,  for  God  took  him.' 
There  is  no  particular  mention  of  his 
faith,  and  the  apostle  attributes  tiiis 
to  him,  as  in  the  case  of  Ai)el,  either 
because  it  was  involved  in  the  very 
nature  of  piety,  or  because  tlie  fact 
was  communicated  to  him  by  direct 
revelation.  In  tlie  account  in  Genesis, 
there  is  nothing  inconsistent  with  the 
belief  that  P^noch  was  characterized 
by  eminent  faitli,  but  it  is  rather  im- 
plied in  the  expression,  '  he  walked 
witii  God.'  Comp.  11.  Cor.  v.  7.  It 
may  also  be  implied  in  what  is  said 
by  tlie  apostle  Jude  (vs.  14,  15),  that 
'  he  prophesied  saying,  Behold  the 
Lord  Cometh  with  ten  thousand  of  his 
saints,'  &c.  From  this  it  would  ap- 
pear  that  he  was  a  preacher ;  that  he 
predicted  the  coining  of  the  Lord  to 
judgment,  and  tliut  he  lived  in  the 
firm  belief  of  what  was  to  occur  in 
future  times.  Moses  does  not  say 
expressly  that  Enoch  was  translated. 
He  says  "  he  was  not,  for  God  took 
him."     The  expression  '  lie  was  not ' 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


261 


cause  God  had  translated  him  : 
for    before    his    translation    he 

means  he  was  no  more  among  men ; 
or  he  was  removed  from  the  earth. 
This  language  would  be  applicable  to 
any  method  by  which  lie  was  re- 
moved, whether  by  dying,  or  by  being 
translated.  A  similar  expression  re- 
specting Romulus  occurs  in  Livy 
(i.  16),  Nee  deinde  in  terris  Romulus 
fuit.  Tiie  translation  of  the  Septua- 
gint  on  this  part  of  the  verse  in  Gene- 
Bis  is,  ou;^  ivpiaKCTo — '  was  not  found  ;' 
that  is,  he  disappeared.  The  author- 
ity for  what  the  apostle  says  here  that 
he  '  was  translated,'  is  found  in  the 
other  phrase  in  Genesis,  '  God  took 
him.'  The  reasons  which  led  to  the 
statement  that  he  was  translated  with- 
out seeing  death,  or  that  show  that 
this  is  a  fair  conclusion  from  the 
words  in  Genesis,  are  such  as  these. 
(1.)  There  is  no  mention  made  of  his 
death,  and  in  this  respect  the  account 
of  Enoch  stands  by  itself.  It  is,  ex- 
cept in  this  case,  the  uniform  cus- 
tom of  Moses  to  mention  the  age 
and  the  death  of  the  individuals  whose 
biography  he  records,  and  in  many 
cases  this  is  about  all  that  is  said  of 
them.  But  in  regard  to  Enoch  there 
is  this  remarkable  exception  that  no 
record  is  made  of  his  death — showing 
that  there  was  something  unusual  in 
the  manner  of  his  removal  from  the 
world.  (2.)  The  Hebrew  word  used 
by  Moses,  found  in  such  a  connexion, 
is  one  which  would  rather  suggest 
the  idea  that  he  had  been  taken  in 
some  extraordinary  manner  from  the 
world.     That  word — np7 — means  to 

take — with  the  idea  of  taking  to  one's 
self.  Thus  Gen.  viii.  20, 'Noah  took 
of  all  beasts  and  offered  a  burnt-offer- 
ing.' Thus  it  is  often  used  in  the 
sense  of  taking  a  wife — that  is,  to  one's 
self  (Gen.  iv.  19;  vi.  2 ;  xii.  19  ;  xix. 
14)  ;  and  then  it  is  used  in  the  sense 
of  taking  aioay.  Gen.  xiv.  12;  xxvii. 
35  ;  Job  i.  21  ;  xii.  20  ;  Ps.  xxxi.  14 ; 
Jer.  XV.  15.  The  word  therefore,  would 
naturally  suggest  the  idea  that  he  had 
been  taken  by  God  to  himself,  or  had 


had  this  testimony,  that  he 
pleased  God. 

been  removed  in  an  extraordinary 
manner  from  the  earth.  This  is  con- 
firmed by  the  fact  that  the  word  is 
not  used  anywhere  in  the  Scriptures 
to  denote  a  removal  hy  death,  and  that 
in  the  only  other  instance  in  which  it 

(np7)  is  used  in  relation  to  a  removal 

from  this  v/orld,  it  occurs  in  the  state- 
ment respecting  the  translation  of 
Elijah.  "And  the  sons  of  the  prophets 
that  were  at  Bethel,  came  forth  to 
Elisha,  and  said  to  him,  Knowest  thou 
that  the  Lord  will  take  away  (HDv) 
thy  master  from  thy  head  to-day?" 
II.  Kings  ii.  3. 5  ;  comp.  ver.  1 1 .  This 
transaction,  where  there  could  be  no 
doubt  about  the  manner  of  the  re- 
moval, shows  in  what  sense  the  word 
is  used  in  Genesis.  (3.)  It  was  so  un- 
derstood  by  the  translators  of  the 
Septuagint.  The  apostle  has  used  the 
same  word  in  this  place  which  is  em- 
ployed by  the  Seventy  in  Gen.  v,  24 — 
jicTaTi^tjui,  This  word  means  to  trans- 
pose, to  put  in  another  place ;  and 
then  to  transport,  transfer,  translate. 
Acts  vii.  16;  Heb.  vii.  12.  It  pro- 
perly expresses  the  removal  to  another 
place,  and  is  the  very  word  which 
would  be  used  on  the  supposition  that 
one  was  taken  to  heaven  without  dy- 
ing. (4.)  This  interpretation  of  the 
passage  in  Genesis  by  Paul  is  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  uniform  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Jews.  In  the  Targum  of 
Onkelos  it  is  evidently  supposed  that 
Enoch  was  translated  without  dying. 
In  that  Targum  the  passage  in  Gen. 
V.  24  is  rendered, '  And  Enoch  walked 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  was  not, 
for  the  Lord  did  not  put  him  to  death' — 
"  n'n'  n'ON  — ^^S.     So  also  in  Ec- 

clesiasticus  or  the  Son  of  Sirach  (xlix. 
]  4),  "  But  upon  the  earth  was  no  man 
created  like  Enoch  ;  for  he  was  taken 
from  the  earth."  These  opinions  of 
the  Jews  and  of  the  early  translators, 
are  of  value  only  as  showing  that  the 
interpretation   which    Paul   has   put 


262 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64» 


upon  Gen.  v.  2t  ia  the  natural  inter-  I 
pretalion.  It  is  such  as  occurs  to  se- 
parate writers,  witliout  collusion,  and  ; 
this  shows  that  this  is  the  meaning'  ' 
most  naturally  suggested  by  the  pas- 
sage. ^  That  he  .should  not  see  death. 
That  is,  th.it  he  should  not  experience 
death,  or  be  made  personally  ac- 
quainted witlj  it.  Tlie  word  tuste 
ollen  occurs  in  the  s.imc  sense.  Ileb. 
ii.  9.  "  That  he  should  taste  death  for 
every  man."  Comp.  Matt.  xvi.  28; 
Mark  ix.  1;  Luke  ix.  27.  ^  And  was 
not  found.  Gen.  v.  2-t.  "  And  he  was 
not."  TJiat  is,  he  was  not  in  the  land 
of  tiic  living.  Paul  retains  t  le  word 
used  in  the  Hcptuagint.  ^  He  had  this 
teslivionij,  that  he  pleased  God.  Im- 
plied in  tlie  declaration  in  Gen.  v.  22, 
that  he  "walked  with  God."  This 
denotes  a  stale  of  friendship  between 
God  and  him,  and  of  course  implies 
that  his  conduct  was  pleasing  to  God. 
The  apostle  appeals  here  to  the  sense 
of  the  account  in  Genesis,  but  does 
not  retain  the  very  words.  The  mean- 
ing here  is  not  that  the  testimony  re- 
specting Enoch  was  actuall}'  given 
before  his  translation,  but  that  the 
testimony  relates  to  his  having  ^/easerf 
God  before  he  was  removed.  Stuart. 
In  regard  to  tiiis  instructive  fragment 
of  history,  and  to  the  reasons  why 
Enoch  was  thus  removed,  we  may 
make  the  following  remarks.  (1.)  The 
age  in  which  he  lived  was  undoubt- 
edly one  of  great  wickedness.  Enoch 
is  selected  as  the  only  one  of  that  ge- 
neration signalized  by  eminent  piety, 
and  he  appears  to  have  spent  his  life 
in  publicly  reproving  a  sinful  genera- 
tion, and  in  warning  them  of  the  ap- 
proaching judgment.  Judc  11,  1.5. 
The  wickedness  whicii  ultimately  led 
to  the  universal  deluge  seems  already 
to  have  commenced  in  the  earth,  and 
Enoch,  like  Noah,  his  great-grand- 
son, was  raised  up  as  a -preacher  of 
righteousness  to  reprove  a  sinful  gen- 
eration. (2.)  It  is  not  improbable  that 
the  great  truths  of  religion  in  that 
age  were  extensively  denied,  and  pro- 
bably among  other  things  the  future 
Btatc,  the  resurrection,  the  belief  that 
man  would    exist    in  another  world, 


and  that  it  was  maintained  that  deatli 
was  the  end  of  being — was  an  eternal 
sleep.  If  so,  nothing  could  be  better 
adapted  to  correct  the  prevailing  evils 
than  the  removal  of  an  eminent  man, 
without  dying-,  from  the_world.  His 
departure  would  thus  confirm  the  in- 
structions  of  his  life,  and  his  removal, 
like  the  death  of  saints  often  now, 
would  serve  to  make  an  impression 
which  his  living  instructions  would 
not.  (3.)  His  removal  is,  in  itself, 
a  very  important  and  instructive  fact 
in  history.  It  has  occurred  in  no 
other  instance  except  that  of  Elijah ; 
nor  has  any  other  living  man  been 
translated  to  heaven  except  the  Lord 
Jesus.  That  fact  was  instructive  in 
a  great  many  respects,  (a)  It  showed 
that  there  was  a  future  state — another 
world.  (/>)  It  showed  that  the  bodf 
might  exist  in  that  future  states 
though  doubtless  so  changed  as  to 
adapt  it  to  the  condition  of  things 
there,  (c)  It  prepared  the  world  to 
credit  the  account  of  the  ascension  of 
the  Redeemer.  If  Enocli  and  Elijah 
were  removed  thus  without  dying, 
there  was  no  intrinsic  improbability 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  would  be  removed 
after  having  died   and    risen    again. 

(d)  It  furnishes  a  demonstration  of 
the  doctrine  that  the  saints  will  exist 
iiereafter,  which  meets  all  the  argu- 
gumentsof  the  sceptic  and  the  infidel. 
One  single //Iff  overturns  all  the  mere 
speculations  of  philosopii}',  and  ren- 
ders nugatory  all  the  objections  of  the 
sceptic.  The  infidel  argues  against 
the  truth  of  the  resurrection  and  of 
the  future  stale  from  the  difficulties 
attending  the  doctrine.  A  single  case 
of  one  who  has  been  raised  up  from 
the  dead,  or  who  has  been  removed 
to  heaven,  annihilates  all  such  argu- 
ments— for  how  can  supposed  difficul- 
ties destroy  a  well  authenticated  fact  ? 

(e)  It  is  an  encouragement  to  piety. 
It  shows  that  God  regards  his  friends; 
that  their  fidelity  and  holy  living 
please  hiiii ;  and  that  in  the  midst  of 
eminent  tpiekedness  and  a  scnj]in<r 
world  it  is  possible  so  to  live  as  to 
please  God.  The  conduct  of  this  holy 
man,  therefore,  is  an  encouragement 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


263 


6  But  without  faith  it  is  im- 
possible to  please  "  him:  for  he 

to  us  to  do  our  duty  though  we  stand 
alone;  and  to  defend  the  truth  tliough 
nil  who  live  with  us  upon  the  earth 
deny  and  deride  it.    (4.)  The  removal 
of  Enoch  shows  that  the  same  thing 
would  be  possible  in  the  case  of  every 
eaint.    God  could  do  it  in  other  cases, 
as  well   as  in   his,  with  equal  ease. 
That  his  friends,  therefore,  are   suf- 
fered to  remain  on  the  earth ;  that 
they  linger  on  in  enfeebled  health,  or 
are    crushed    by    calamity,    or    are 
stricken  down    by  the    pestilence  as 
others  are,  is  not  because  God  could 
not  remove  them  as  Enoch  was  with- 
out dying,  but  because  there  is  some 
important  reason  why  they  should  re- 
main and  linger,  and  suffer,  and  die. 
Among-  those  reasons  may  be  such  as 
the  following,     (o)  The  regular  ope- 
ration of  the  laws  of  nature  as  now 
constituted,    require   it.      Vegetables 
die  ;  the  inhabitants  of  the  deep  die  ; 
the  fowls  that  fly  in  the  air,  and  the 
beasts  that  roam  over  hills  and  plains 
die  ;  and  man,  by  his  sins,  is  brought 
under  the  operation  of  this  great  uni- 
versal law.     It  would  be  possible  in- 
deed for  God  to  save  his  people  from 
this  law,  but  it  would  require  the  in- 
terposition of  continued  miracles,  and 
it  is  better  to  have  the  laws  of  nature 
regularly  operating,  than  to  have  them 
constantly  set  aside  by  divine  inter- 
position.    (6)  The  power  of  religion 
is  now  better  illustrated  in  the  way 
in  which  the  saints  are  actually  re- 
moved from  the  earth,  than  it  would 
be  if  they  were  all  translated.     Its 
power  is  now  seen  in  its  enabling  us 
to  overcome  the  dread  of  death,  and 
in  its  supporting  us  in  the  pains  and 
sorrows  of  the  departing  hour.     It  is 
a  good  thing  to  discipline  the  soul  so 
that  it  will  not  fear  to  die ;  it  shows 
how   superior   religion   is   to   all  the 
forms   of  philosophy,  that  it  enables 
the  believer  to  look  calmly  forward 
to  his  own  certain  approaching  death. 
It  is"  an  important  matter  to  keep  this 
up  from  age  to  age,  and  to   show  to 
eacli   generation   that    religion    can 


that  Cometh  to  God   must  be- 

o  Ps.  106.  21,  ZJ. 

overcome  the  natural  apprehension 
of  the  most  fearful  calamity  which 
befalls  a  creature  —  death;  and  can 
make  man  calm  in  the  prospect  of 
lying  beneath  the  clods  of  the  valley, 
cold,  dark,  alone,  to  moulder  back  to 
his  native  dust,  (c)  The  death  of  the 
Christian  does  good.  It  preaches  to 
the  living.  The  calm  resignation ; 
the  peace ;  the  triumph  of  the  dying 
believer,  is  a  constant  admonition  to 
a  thoughtless  and  wicked  world.  The 
deathbed  of  the  Christian  proclaims 
the  mercy  of  God  from  generation  to 
generation,  and  there  is  not  a  dying 
saint  who  may  not,  and  who  probably 
does  not  do  great  good  in  the  closing 
hours  of  his  earthly  being,  (d)  It 
may  be  added  that  the  present  ar- 
rangement falls  in  with  the  general 
laws  of  religion  that  we  are  to  be  in- 
fluenced  hy  faith,  not  by  sisrht.  If  all 
Christians  were  removed  like  Enoch, 
it  would  be  an  argument  for  the  truth 
of  religion  addressed  constantly  to  the 
senses.  But  this  is  not  the  way  in 
which  the  evidence  of  the  truth  of  re- 
ligion is  proposed  to  man.  It  is  sub- 
mitted to  his  understanding,  his  con- 
science, his  heart ;  and  in  this  there 
is  of  design  a  broad  distinction  be- 
tween religion  and  other  things.  Men 
act  in  other  matters  under  the  influ- 
ence  of  the  senses  ;  it  is  designed  that 
in  religion  they  shall  act  under  the 
influence  of  higher  and  nobler  consi- 
derations, and  that  they  shall  be  in- 
fluenced not  solely  by  a  reference  to 
what  is  passing  before  their  eyes  but 
to  the  things  which  are  not  seer 

6.  Bui  loithout  faith  it  is  impossihlt 
to  please  him.  Without  confidence  in 
God  —  in  his  fidelity,  his  truth,  hia 
wisdom,  his  promises.  And  this  is 
as  true  in  other  things  as  in  religion. 
It  is  impossible  for  a  child  to  please 
his  father  unless  he  has  confidence  in 
him.  It  is  impossible  for  a  wife  to 
please  her  husband,  or  a  husband  a 
wife,  unless  they  have  confidence  in 
each  other.  If  there  is  distrust  and 
jealousy  on  either  part,  there  is  dis- 


264 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


lieve  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is 
a  rewardcr  of  them  that  dili- 
gently seek  him. 

7  By    faith    Noah,  "  being 


cord  and  misery.  We  cannot  be 
pleased  witli  a  professed  friend  unless 
he  has  such  confidence  in  us  as  to 
believe  our  declarations  and  promises. 
The  same  thing  is  true  of  God.  He 
cannot  be  pleased  with  the  man  who 
lias  no  confidence  in  him  ;  w'>o  doubts 
the  truth  of  liis  declarations  and  pro- 
mises ;  who  docs  not  believe  that  his 
ways  arc  right,  or  that  he  is  qualified 
for  universal  empire.  Tlie  require- 
ment of  faitii  or  confidence  in  God  is 
not  arbitrary  ;  it  is  just  what  we  re- 
quire of  our  children,  and  partners  in 
life,  and  friends,  as  the  indispensable 
condition  of  our  being  pleased  witii 
them.  T  For  he  that  coineth  to  God. 
In  any  way — as  a  worshipper.  Tiiis 
is  alike  required  in  public  worship, 
in  the  family,  and  in  secret  devotion. 
IT  Must  believe  that  he  is.  That  God 
exists.  This  is  the  first  thing  required 
in  worship.  Evidently  we  cannot 
come  to  him  in  an  acceptable  manner 
if  we  doubt  his  existence.  We  do  not 
see  him,  but  we  must  believe  that  he 
is;  we  cannot  form  in  our  mind  a 
correct  image  of  God,  but  this  should 
not  prevent  a  conviction  that  tliere  is 
such  a  Being.  But  the  declaration 
here  implies  more  than  that  there 
should  be  a  general  persuasion  of  the 
truth  that  there  is  a  God.  It  is  ne- 
cessary that  we  have  this  belief  in 
lively  exercise  in  the  act  of  drawing 
near  to  him,  and  that  we  should  real- 
ize that  we  are  actually  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  all-seeing  Jehovah.  If  And 
that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that  dili- 
gently  seek  him.  This  is  equally  ne- 
cessary as  the  belief  that  he  exists. 
If  we  could  not  believe  that  God  would 
hear  and  answer  our  praj'ors,  there 
could  be  no  encouragement  to  call 
upon  him.  It  is  not  meant  here  that 
tiie  desire  of  the  reward  is  to  be  the 
motive  for  seeking  God — for  the  apos- 
tle makes  no  affirmation  on  that 
(toint ;    but   that   it   is  impossible  to 


warned  of  God  of  things  not 
seen  as  yet,  '  moved  with  fear, 
prepared  an  ark  to  the  saving 

a  Ge.  6.  14-22.  l  or,  being  wary. 

make  an  acceptable  approach  to  him 
unless  we  have  this  belief. 

7.  By  faith  Noah.  It  is  less  difTi- 
cult  to  see  that  Noah  must  have  been 
influenced  by  faith  than  that  Abel 
and  Enoch  were.  Everything  which 
Noah  did  in  reference  to  the  threat- 
ened deluge,  was  done  in  virtue  of 
simple  faith  or  belief  of  what  God 
said.  It  was  not  because  he  could 
show  from  the  course  of  events  that 
things  were  tending  to  such  a  catas- 
trophe ;  or  because  such  an  event  had 
occurred  before,  rendering  it  proba- 
ble that  it  would  be  Hkely  to  occur 
again ;  or  because  this  was  the  com- 
mon belief  of  men,  and  it  was  easy 
to  fall  into  this  himself.  It  was  sim- 
ply because  God  had  informed  him 
of  it,  and  he  put  unwavering  reliance 
on  the  truth  of  the  divine  declaration. 
^  Being  warned  of  God.  Gen.  vi.  13. 
The  Greek  word  here  used  means 
divinely  admonished.  Comp.  ch.  viii. 
5.  ^  Of  things  not  seen  as  yet.  Of 
the  flood  which  was  yet  future.  The 
meaning  is,  that  there  were  no  visi- 
ble  signs  of  it ;  tliere  was  nothing 
which  could  be  a  basis  of  calculation 
that  it  would  occur.  This  admoni- 
tion was  given  an  hundred  and  twenty 
years  before  the  deluge,  and  of  course 
long  before  there  could  have  been  any 
natural  indications  that  it  would  oc- 
cur. IT  Moved  with  fear.  Marg.  Be- 
ing  wary.  The  Greek  word — cvXafin- 
Sui  —  occurs  only  here  and  in  Acts 
xxiii.  10.  "The  chief  captain /eor- 
ing  lest  Paul,"  vSlc.  The  noun  occurs 
in  Hcb.  V.  7.  "  And  was  heard  in  that 
he  feared,"  (see  Note  on  that  place), 
and  in  Heb.  xii.  28.  "  With  rever- 
ence and  godly  fear."  The  verb  pro- 
perly means,  to  act  with  caution,  to  be 
circumspect,  and  then  to  fear,  to  be 
afraid.  So  far  as  the  word  is  con- 
cerned, it  might  mean  here  that  Noah 
was  influenced  by  the  dread  of  what 
was  coining,  or  it  may  mean  that  he 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


265 


of  his  house ;  by  thf5  which  he 
condemned  the  world,  and  be- 

was  influenced  by  proper  caution  and 
reverence  for  God.  The  latter  mean- 
ing agrees  better  with  the  scope  of 
Ihe  remarks  of  Paul;  and  is  probably 
the  true  sense.  His  reverence  and 
respect  for  God  induced  Jiim  to  act 
under  the  belief  that  what  he  had 
said  was  true,  and  that  the  calamity 
which  he  Jiad  predicted  would  cer- 
tainly come  upon  the  world.  IT  Pre- 
pared an  ark  to  the  saving  of  his  house. 
In  order  that  his  family  might  be 
saved.  Gen.  vi.  14 — 22.  The  salva- 
tion here  referred  to  was  preservation 
from  the  flood.  If  By  the  which.  By 
which  faith.  IT  He.  condemned  the 
viorld.  That  is,  the  wicked  world 
around  him.  The  meaning  is,  that 
by  his  confidence  in  God,  and  his  pre- 
paration for  the  flood,  he  showed  the 
wisdom  of  his  own  coarse  and  the 
folly  of  theirs.  We  have  the  same 
phrase  now  in  common  use  where 
one  who  sets  a  good  example  is  said 
to  '  condemn  others.'  He  shows  the 
guilt  and  folly  of  their  lives  by  the 
contrast  between  his  conduct  and 
theirs.  The  wickedness  of  the  sin- 
ner is  condemned  not  only  by  preach- 
ing, and  by  the  admonitions  and 
threatenings  of  the  law  of  God,  but 
by  the  conduct  of  every  good  man. 
The  language  of  such  a  life  is  as 
plain  a  rebuke  of  the  sinner  as  the 
most  fearful  denunciations  of  divine 
wrath.  If  And  became  heir  of  the 
righteousness  which  is  by  faith.  The 
phrase  '  heir  of  righteousness'  here 
means  properly  that  he  acquired,  gain- 
ed, or  became  possessed  of  that  right- 
eousness. It  does  not  refer  so  much 
to  the  mode  by  which  it  was  done  as 
if  it  were  by  inheritance,  as  to  the 
fact  that  he  obtained  it.  The  word 
heir  is  used  in  this  general  sense  in 
Rom.  iv.  13,  14  ;  Titus  iii.  7  ;  Heb.  i. 
2;  vi.  17.  Noah  was  not  the  heir  to 
that  righteousness  by  inheriting  it 
from  his  ancestors,  but  in  virtue  of  it 
he  was  regarded  as  among  the  heirs 
or  sons  of  God,  and  as  being  a  pos- 
sessor of  that  righteousness  which  is 

OQ 


came  heir  of  the  righteousness 
which  is  by  faith. 

connected  with  faith.  The  phrase 
'  righteousness  which  is  by  faith'  re- 
fers to  the  fact  that  he  was  regarded 
and  treated  as  a  righteous  man.  Notes 
on  Rom.  i.  17.  It  is  observable  here 
that  it  is  not  said  that  Noah  had  spe- 
cific  faith  in  Christ,  or  that  his  being 
made  heir  of  the  righteousness  of 
faith  depended  on  that,  but  it  was  in 
connexion  with  his  believing  what 
God  said  respecting  the  deluge.  It 
was  faith  or  confidence  in  God  which 
was  the  ground  of  his  justification, 
in  accordance  with  the  general  doc- 
trine of  the  Scriptures  that  it  is  only 
by  faith  that  man  can  be  saved,  though 
the  specific  mode  of  faith  was  not 
that  which  is  required  now  under  the 
gospel.  In  the  early  ages  of  the  world, 
when  few  truths  were  revealed,  a  cor- 
dial belief  of  any  of  those  truths 
showed  that  there  was  real  confidence 
in  God,  or  that  the  principle  of  faith 
was  in  tlie  heart ;  in  the  fuller  reve- 
lation which  we  enjoy,  we  are  not 
only  to  believe  those  truths,  but  spe- 
cifically to  believe  in  him  who  has 
made  the  great  atonement  for  sin,  and 
by  whose  merits  all  have  been  saved 
who  have  entered  heaven.  The  same 
faith  or  confidence  in  God  which  led 
Noah  to  believe  what  God  said  about 
the  deluge  would  have  led  him  to  be- 
lieve what  he  has  said  about  the  Re- 
deemer ;  and  the  same  confidence  in 
God  which  led  him  to  commit  him- 
self to  his  safe  keeping  in  an  ark  on 
the  world  of  waters,  would  have  led 
him  to  commit  his  soul  to  the  safe 
keeping  of  the  Redeemer,  the  true 
ark  of  safety.  As  the  principle  of 
faith,  therefore,  existed  in  the  heart 
of  Noah,  it  was  proper  that  he  should 
become,  with  others,  an  '  heir  of  the 
righteousness  by  faith.'  In  regard  to 
the  circumstances  which  show  the 
strength  of  his  faith,  we  may  make 
the  following  remarks.  (1.)  It  per- 
tained to  a  very  distant  future  event. 
It  looked  forward  to  that  which  was 
to  happen  afl;er  a  lapse  of  an  hundred 
and  twenty  year6.     This  was  known 


26C 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


to  Noah  (Gen.  vi.  3),  and  at  this  long 
period  bctorc  it  occurred,  he  was  to 
begin  to  build  an  ark  to  save  himself 
and  family ;  to  act  as  thougii  this 
would  be  undoubtedly  true.  This  is 
a  much  longer  period  than  man  now 
is  required  to  exercise  faith  before 
that  is  realized  vvhicii  is  tlie  object  of 
belief.  Rare  is  it  that  three-score 
years  intervene  between  the  time  when 
a  man  first  believes  in  God  and  when 
he  enters  into  heaven ;  much  more 
frequently  it  is  but  a  few  months  or 
days  ;  not  an  instance  now  occurs  in 
whicii  tlic  period  is  lengthened  out  to 
an  hundred  and  twenty  years.  (2.) 
There  was  no  outward  evidence  that 
what  Noah  believed  would  occur. 
There  were  no  appearances  in  nature 
which  indicated  that  tl)ere  would  be 
such  a  flood  of  waters  at\cr  more  than 
a  century  had  passed  away.  There 
were  no  breakings  up  of  the  fountains 
of  the  deep ;  no  marks  of  the  far-dis- 
tant storm  gathering  on  the  sky  which 
could  be  the  basis  of  the  calculation. 
The  word  of  God  was  the  only  ground 
of  evidence  ;  the  only  thing  to  wliich 
he  could  refer  gainsaycrs  and  rcvilers. 
It  is  so  now.  There  are  no  visible 
signs  of  the  coming  of  tlie  Saviour  to 
judge  the  world.  Yet  tiie  true  be- 
liever feels  and  acts  as  if  it  were  so 
— resting  on  the  sure  word  of  God. 
(3.)  Tlie  course  of  things  was  mucii 
against  the  truth  of  what  Noah  be- 
lieved. No  such  event  had  ever  oc- 
curred. There  is  no  evidence  tJiat 
there  had  ever  been  a  storm  of  rain 
half  sufficient  to  drown  the  world  ;  or 
that  there  had  ever  been  the  breaking 
up  of  the  deep,  or  that  there  had  been 
ever  a  partial  deluge.  For  sixteen 
hundred  years  the  course  of  nature 
bad  been  uniform,  and  all  the  force 
of  this  uniformity  would  be  felt  and 
urged  when  it  should  bo  alleged  tiiat 
this  was  to  be  disturbed,  and  to  give 
place  to  an  entire  new  order  of  events. 
Comp.  II.  Pet.  iii.  4.  The  same  thing 
is  now  felt  in  regard  to  the  objects  of 
the  Cliristian  faith.  Tlie  course  of 
events  is  uniform.  The  laws  of  na- 
ture are  regular  and  steady.  The 
dead  do  not  leave  their  graves.     Sea- 


sons succeed  cac.li  other  in  regular 
succession ;  men  are  born,  live,  and 
die  as  in  former  times;  fire  does 
not  wrap  tlie  eartii  in  flames;  the 
elements  do  not  melt  with  fervent 
heat;  seed-time  and  harvest,  cold 
and  heat,  summer  and  winter  follow 
each  other,  and  'all  things  continue 
as  they  were  from  the  beginning  of 
the  creation.'  How  many  probabili- 
ties  arc  there  now,  therefore,  as  there 
were  in  the  time  of  Noah,  against  that 
which  is  the  object  of  faith  !  (4.;  It  is 
not  improbable  that  when  Noah  pro- 
claimed the  appfoaehing  destruciion 
of  the  world  by  a  deluge,  the  possi. 
bilily  of  such  an  event  was  strongly 
denied  by  the  pliilosophcrs  of  tfiat 
age.  Tlie  fact  that  such  an  event 
could  have  occurred  has  been  denied 
by  infidel  pliilo.soj)hers  in  our  own 
times,  and  atteinjits  have  been  gravely 
made  to  show  that  the  earth  did  not 
contain  water  enough  to  cover  its  sur- 
face to  the  height  mentioned  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  that  no  condensation 
of  the  vapour  in  the  atmosphere  could 
produce  sucli  an  eti'ect.  It  is  not  im- 
probable  that  some  such  arguments 
may  have  been  used  in  the  time  of 
Noah,  and  it  is  morally  certain  that 
he  could  not  meet  those  arguments  by 
any  philosophy  of  his  own.  There  is  no 
reason  to  think  tiiat  he  was  endowed 
willi  such  a  knowledge  of  chemistry 
as  to  be  able  to  show  that  such  a 
thing  was  possible,  or  tliat  he  had 
such  an  acquaintance  with  the  struc- 
ture of  the  earth  as  to  demonstrate 
that  it  contained  within  itself  the  ele. 
mejits  of  its  own  destruction.  All 
that  he  could  oppose  to  sucii  specula- 
tions was  the  simple  declaration  of 
God  ;  and  the  same  thing  is  also  true 
now  in  regard  to  tlie  cavils  and  phi. 
lo^sopilical  arguments  of  infidelity. 
Objections  drawn  from  philosophy  arc 
often  made  against  the  doctrine  of"  the 
resurrection  of  the  body  ;  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  earth  by  tlie  agency  of  fire; 
and  even  the  existence  of  the  soul 
after  death.  These  difficulties  may 
be  obviated  partly  by  science  ;  but  the 
proof  that  these  events  will  occur, 
docs  not  depend  on  science.     It  is  » 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


267 


matter  of  simple  faith ;  and  all  that 
we  can  in  fact  oppose  fo  these  objec- 
tions is  the  declaration  of  God.  The 
result  showed  that  Noah  was  not  a 
fool  or  a  fanatic  in  trusting  to  the 
word  of  God  against  the  philosophy 
of  his  age  ;  and  the  result  will  show 
the  same  of  the  CJiristian  in  his  con- 
fiding in  the  truth  of  tlic  divine  de- 
clarations against  tlie  philosophy  of 
his  age.  (5.)  It  is  beyond  all  ques- 
tion that  Noah  would  be  subjected  to 
much  ridicule  and  scorn.  He  would 
be  regarded  as  a  dreamer  ;  a  fanatic ; 
an  alarmist ;  a  wild  projector.  The 
purpose  of  making  preparation  for 
such  an  event  as  the  flood,  to  occur 
after  the  lapse  of  an  hundred  and 
twenty  years,  and  when  there  were 
no  indications  of  it,  and  all  appear- 
ances were  against  it,  would  be  regard- 
ed as  in  the  highest  degree  wild  and 
visionary.  The  design  of  building  a 
vessel  wliich  would  outride  the  storm, 
and  which  would  live  in  such  an  open 
sea,  and  which  would  contain  all  sorts 
of  animals  with  the  food  for  them  for 
an  indefinite  period,  could  not  but  have 
been  regarded  as  eminently  ridicu- 
lous. When  the  ark  was  preparing, 
nothing  could  have  been  a  more  hap- 
py subject  for  scoffing  and  jibes.  In 
such  an  age,  therefore,  and  in  such 
circumstances,  we  may  suppose  that 
all  the  means  possible  would  have 
been  resorted  to,  to  pour  conte'mpt  on 
such  an  undertaking.  They  who  had 
wit,  would  find  here  an  ample  subject 
for  its  exercise;  if  ballads  were  made 
then,  no  more  fertile  theme  for  a  pro- 
fane song  could  be  desired  tiian  this; 
and  in  the  haunts  of  revelry,  intem- 
perance, and  pollution,  nothing  would 
furnish  a  finer  topic  to  give  point  to 
a  jest,  than  the  credulity  and  folly  of 
the  old  man  who  was  building  the 
ark.  It  would  require  strong  faith 
to  contend  thus  with  the  wit,  the  sar- 
casm, the  contempt,  the  raillery,  and 
the  low  jesting,  as  well  as  with  tlie 
wisdom  and  philosophy  of  a  whole 
world.  Yet  it  is  a  fair  illustration  of 
what  occurs  often  now,  and  of  the 
strength  of  that  faith  in  the  Christian 
heart  which  meets  meekly  and  calmiy 


the  scoffs  and  jeers  of  a  .wicked  gene- 
ration. (6.)  All  this  would  be  height, 
ened  by  delay.  The  time  was  distant. 
What  now  completes  four  generations 
would  have  passed  away  before  the 
event  predicted  would  occur.  Youth 
grew  up  to  manhood,  and  manhood 
passed  on  to  old  age,  and  still  thero 
were  no  signs  of  the  coming  storm. 
That  was  no  feeble  faith  which  could 
hold  on  in  this  manner  for  an  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years,  believing  un- 
waveringly that  all  which  God  had 
said  would  be  accomplished.  But  it 
is  an  illustration  of  faith  in  the  Chris- 
tian church  now.  The  church  main- 
tains the  same  confidence  in  God  from 
age  to  age — and  regardless  of  all  the 
reproaches  of  scoffers,  and  all  the  ar- 
guments of  philosophy,  still  adheres  to 
the  truths  which  God  has  revealed. 
So  witk  individual  Christians.  They 
look  for  the  promise.  They  are  ex- 
pecting  heaven.  They  doubt  not  that 
the  time  will  come  when  they  will  be 
received  to  glory ;  when  their  bodies 
will  be  raised  up  glorified  and  im- 
mortal, and  when  sin  and  sorrow 
will  be  no  more.  In  the  conflicts 
and  trials  of  life  the  time  of  their  de- 
liverance  may  seem  to  be  long  de- 
layed. The  ■  world  may  reproach 
them,  and  Satan  may  tempt  them  to 
doubt  whether  all  their  hope  of  hea. 
ven  is  not  delusion.  But  their  faith 
fails  not,  and  though  hope  seems  de- 
layed, and  the  heart  is  sick,  yet  they 
keep  the  eye  on  heaven.  So  it  is  in 
regard  to  the  final  triumphs  of  the 
gospel.  The  Christian  looks  forward 
to  the  time  when  the  earth  shall  be 
full  of  the  knowledge  of  God  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea.  Yet  that  time 
may  seem  to  be  long  delayed.  Wick- 
edness triumphs.  A  large  part  of  the 
earth  is  still  filled  with  the  habita- 
tions of  cruelty.  The  pi  ogress  of  the 
gospel  is  slow.  The  church  comes 
up  reluctantly  to  the  work.  The  ene- 
mies of  the  cause  exult  and  rejoice, 
and  ask  with  scoffing  triumpli  where 
is  the  evidence  that  the  nations  will 
be  converted  to  God  ?  They  suggest 
difficulties ;  they  refer  to  the  num- 
bers, and  to  the  opposition  of  the  eae* 


S68 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


8  By  faith  Abraham  °  when 
he  was  called  to  go  out  into  a 
place  which  he  should  after  re- 

a  Ge.  12.  1,  4,  See. 


mies  of  the  true  religion ;  lo  the 
might  of  kingdoms,  and  to  the  power 
of  fixed  opinion,  and  to  the  liold 
which  idolatry  has  on  mankind,  and 
they  snccringly  inquire  at  what  pe- 
riod will  the  world  be  converted  lo 
Christ  ?  Yet  in  the  face  of  all  dilli- 
cultics,  and  arguments,  and  sneers, 
faith  confides  in  the  promise  of  the 
Father  to  the  Son,  that  the  '  heathen 
shall  be  given  lo  him  for  an  inherit- 
ance, and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  a  possession.'  Ps.  ii.  8.  The 
faith  of  the  true  Christian  is  as  strong 
in  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise,  as 
that  of  Noah  was  in  the  asSurance 
that  the  guilty  world  would  be  de- 
stroyed by  a  flood  of  waters. 

8.  By  faith  Abraham.  There  is  no 
difficulty  in  determining  that  Abra- 
ham was  influenced  by  faith  in  God. 
The  case  is  even  stronger  than  that 
of  Noah,  for  it  is  expressly  declared, 
Gen.  XV.  6,  "  And  he  believed  in  the 
Lord  ;  and  he  counted  it  to  him  for 
righteousness."  Comp.  Notes  Rom. 
iv.  1 — 5.  In  the  illustrations  of  the 
power  of  faith  in  this  chapter,  the 
apostle  appeals  to  two  instances  in 
which  it  was  exhibited  by  Abraham, 
'  the  father  of  the  faithful.'  Each  of 
these  required  confidence  in  God  of 
extraordinary  strength,  and  eacli  of 
them  demanded  a  special  and  honour- 
able mention.  The  first  was  tiiat 
when  he  left  his  own  country  to  go 
to  a  distant  land  of  strangers  (vs.  8 — 
10) ;  the  other  when  he  showed  his 
readiness  to  sacrifice  his  own  son  in 
obedience  to  the  will  of  God.  Vs.  17 
— 19.  IT  When  he  was  called.  Gen. 
xii.  1.  "Now  the  Lord  had  said  unto 
Abram,  Get  thee  out  of  thy  country, 
and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  tliy 
father's  house,  unto  a  land  that  I  will 
show  thee."  IT  Into  a  place  which  he 
should  after  receive  for  an  inheritance, 
obeyed.  To  Palestine,  or  the  land  of 
(Canaan,  though  tliatwas  not  indicated 


ceive  for  an  inheritance,  obey- 
ed ;  and  he  went  out,  not  know- 
ing whither  he  went, 

9  By  faith  he  sojourned    in 


at  the  time.  ^  And  he  went  out  not 
knowing  whither  he  went.  Gen  xii.  4. 
Abraham  at  that  time  took  with  him 
Sarai,  and  Lot  the  son  of  his  brother, 
and  "  the  souls  that  they  had  gotten 
in  Ilaran."  Tcrah,  the  father  of 
Abraham,  started  on  the  journey  with 
them,  but  died  in  Ilaran.  Gen.  xi.  31, 
3'2.  The  original  call  was  made  to 
Abraham,  (Gen.  xii.  1 ;  Acts  vii.2, 3), 
but  he  appears  to  have  induced  his 
father  and  his  nephew  to  accompany 
him.  At  this  time  he  had  no  children 
(Gen.  xi.  30),  though  it  seems  proba- 
ble that  Lot  had.  Gen.  xii.  5.  Some, 
however,  understand  the  expression 
in  Gen.  xii.  5,  "  and  the  souls  they 
had  gotten  in  Haran,"  as  referring  to 
the  servants  or  domestics  that  they 
had  in  various  ways  procured,  and  to 
the  fact  that  Abraham  and  Lot  gra- 
dually drew  around  tliem  a  train  of 
dependants  and  followers  who  were 
disposed  to  imite  with  them,  and  ac. 
company  them  wherever  they  went. 
The  Chaldee  Paraphrast  understands 
it  of  the  proselytes  wliich  Abraliam 
liad  made  there — "All  the  souls  which 
he  had  subdued  unto  the  law."  When 
it  is  said  that  Abraliam  '  went  out 
not  knowing  wl:itlicr  he  went,'  it 
must  be  understood  as  meaning  tliat 
he  was  ignorant  to  what  country  he 
would  in  fact  be  led.  If  it  be  sup- 
posed that  he  had  some  general  inti- 
mation of  the  nature  of  tliat  country, 
and  of  the  direction  in  which  it  was 
situated,  yet  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  knowledge  of  geography  was 
then  exceedingly  imperfect;  that  this 
was  a  distant  country ;  that  it  lay 
beyond  a  pathless  desert,  and  that 
probably  no  traveller  had  ever  come 
from  that  land  to  apprize  hiin  what 
it  was.  All  this  serves  to  show  what 
was  the  strength  of  the  faith  of  Abra- 
ham. 

9.  By  faith  he  sojourned  in  the  land 
oj  promise,  as  in  a  strange  country 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


269 


Ihe  land  of  promise,  as  in  a 
strange  country,  "  dwelling  in 
tabernacles  with  Isaac  and  Ja- 
cob, the  heirs  with  him  of  the 
same  promise. 

The  land  of  Canaan  that  had  been 
promised  to  him  and  his  posterity. 
He  resided  there  as  if  he  were  a  stran- 
ger and  sojourner.  He  had  no  pos- 
sessions there  which  he  did  not  pro- 
cure by  honest  purcliase ;  he  owned 
no  land  in  fee-simple  except  the  small 
piece  which  he  bought  tor  a  burial 
place.  See  Gen.  xxiii.  7 — 20.  In  all 
respects  he  lived  there  as  if  he  had 
no  peculiar  right  in  the  soil ;  as  if  he 
never  expected  to  own  it;  as  if  he 
were  in  a  country  wholly  owned  by 
others.  He  exercised  no  privileges 
which  might  not  have  been  exercised 
by  any  foreigner,  and  which  was  not 
regarded  as  a  right  of  common — that 
of  feeding  his  cattle  in  any  unoccu- 
pied part  of  tlie  land  ;  and  he  would 
have  had  no  power  of  ejecting  any 
other  persons  excepting  that  which 
any  one  might  liavc  enjoyed  by  the 
pre-occupancy  of  tlic  pasture-grounds. 
To  all  intents  and  purposes  he  was  a 
stranger.  Yet  he  seems  to  have  lived 
in  tlie  confident  and  quiet  expectation 
that  that  land  would  at  some  period 
come  into  the  possession  of  his  pos- 
terity. It  was  a  strong  instance  of 
faith  that  he  should  cherish  this  be- 
lief for  so  long  a  time,  when  he  was 
a  stranger  there  ;  when  he  gained  no 
right  in  the  soil  except  in  the  small 
piece  tliat  was  purchased  as  a  burial- 
place  tor  his  wife,  and  when  he  saw 
old  age  coming  on  and  still  the  wliole 
land  in  the  possession  of  others.  If 
Dwelling  in  tabfrnacles.  In  tents — 
the  common  mode  of  living  in  coun- 
tries where  the  principal  occupation 
is  that  of  keeping  flocks  and  herds. 
His  dwelling  thus  in  moveable  tents 
looked  little  like  its  being  his  perma- 
nent possession.  ^  With  Isaac  and 
Jacob,  the  heirs  with  him  of  the  same 
promise.  Tliat  is,  the  same  tiling  oc- 
curred in  regard  to  them,  which  had 
to  Abraham.  They  also  lived  in  tents. 
23* 


10  For  he  looked  for  a  city  * 
which  hath  foundations,  whose 
builder"  and  maker  is  God. 

a  Ge.  13.  3.  18;  ]8.  1.9. 

b  c.  12.  22  ;  13.  14.  c  Re.  21.  2,  10. 

They  acquired  no  fixed  property,  and 
no  title  to  the  land  except  to  the  small 
portion  purchased  as  a  burial-place. 
Yet  they  were  heirs  of  the  same 
promise  as  Abraham,  that  the  land 
would  be  theirs.  Thougli  it  was  still 
owned  by  others,  and  filled  with  its 
native  inhabitants,  yet  they  adhered 
to  the  belief  that  it  would  come  into 
the  possession  of  their  families.  In 
tlieir  moveable  habitations ;  in  their 
migrations  from  place  to  place,  they 
seem  never  to  have  doubted  that  the 
fixed  liabitation  of  their  posterity  was 
to  be  there,  and  that  all  that  had  been 
promised  would  be  certainly  fulfilled. 
10.  For  he  looked  for  a  city,  which 
hath  foundations.  It  has  been  doubted 
to  what  the  apostle  here  refers.  Gro- 
tins  and  some  others  suppose,  that  he 
refers  to  Jerusalem,  as  a  permanent 
dwelling  for  his  posterity,  in  contra- 
distinction from  the  unsettled  mode 
of  life  wiiich  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  led.  But  there  is  no  evidence 
that  Abraham  looked  forward  to  the 
building  of  such  a  city,  for  no  promise 
was  made  to  him  of  this  kind;  and 
this  interpretation  falls  evidently  be- 
low the  whole  drift  of  the  passage. 
Com  p.  vs.  14 — 16;  ch.  xii.  22  ;  xiii. 
14.  Phrases  like  that  of'  the  city  of 
God,'  ' a  city  with  foundations,'  'the 
new  Jerusalem,'  and  '  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem'  in  the  time  of  the  apostle, 
appear  to  have  acquired  a  kind  of  tech- 
nical signification.  They  referred  to 
heaven — of  which  Jerusalem,  the  seat 
of  the  worship  of  God,  seems  to  have 
been  regarded  as  the  emblem.  Thus 
in  ch.  xii.  22,  the  apostle  speaks  of  the 
'  heavenly  Jerusalem,'  and  in  ch.  xiii. 
1 4,  he  says,  '  here  have  we  no  con- 
tinuing city,  but  w^e  seek  one  to  come.' 
In  Rev.  xxi.  2,  John  says  that  he 
'  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jerusalem, 
coming  down  from  God,  out  of  hea- 
ven,' and  proceeds  in  that  chapter  and 


270 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


the  following  to  give  a  most,  beautiful 
description  of  it.  Even  so  early  as 
tlie  time  of  Abraham,  it  would  seem 
tiiat  the  future  blessedness  of  the 
riglitcous  was  Ibretold  under  the  im- 
age of  a  splendid  city  reared  on  per- 
manent foundations.  It  is  remarkable 
that  Moses  docs  not  mention  this  as 
an  object  of  the  faith  of  Abraham, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the 
degree  of  distinctness  whicli  this  had 
in  liis  view.  It  is  probable  that  the 
apostle  in  speaking  of  his  faith  in 
this  particular  did  not  rely  on  any 
distinct  record,  or  even  any  tradition, 
but  spoke  of  his  piety  in  the  lan- 
guage which  he  would  use  to  charac- 
terize religion  of  any  age,  or  in  any 
individual.  He  was  accustomed,  in 
common  witii  others  of  iiis  time,  to 
contemplate  the  future  blessedness  of 
the  righteous  under  the  image  of  a 
beautiful  city ;  a  place  where  the 
worship  of  God  would  be  celebrated 
for  ever — a  city  of  which  Jerusalem 
was  the  most  striking  representation 
to  the  mind  of  a  Jew.  It  was  natural 
for  him  to  speak  of  strong  piety  in 
this  manner  wherever  it  existed,  and 
especially  in  suoli  a  case  as  tliat  of 
Abraham,  who  left  his  own  habita- 
tion to  wander  in  a  distant  land. 
This  fact  showed  that  he  regarded 
himself  as  a  stranger  and  sojourner, 
and  yet  he  had  a  strong  expectation 
of  a  fixed  habitation,  and  a  permanent 
inheritance.  He  must,  therefore,  have 
looked  on  to  the  permanent  abodes  of 
the  riglitcous ;  the  heavenly  city  ; — 
and  tiiough  he  had  an  undoubted  con- 
fidence that  the  promised  land  would 
be  given  to  his  posterity,  yet  as  lie 
did  not  possess  it  himselfj  he  must 
have  looked  for  iiis  own  permanent 
abode  to  the  fixed  residence  of  the 
just  in  heaven.  This  passage  seems 
to  me  to  prove  that  Abraiiam  had  an 
expectation  of  future  liap])incss  af\er 
death.  There  is  not  the  slightest  evi- 
dence that  he  supposed  there  would 
be  a  magnificent  and  glorious  c  ipitiil 
where  the  Mcssiali  would  personally 
reign,  and  wiicre  the  righteous  dead, 
raised  lirom  tlieir  graves,  would  dwell 
in  the  sccoa  i  advent  of  the  Redeemer. 


All  that  the  passage  fairly  implies  is, 
tliat  wliile  Abraham  expected  the 
possession  of  the  promised  land  for  his 
posterity,  yet  his  faith  looked  beyond 
tills  for  a  permanent  home  in  a  future 
world.  If  Whose  builder  and  maker  is 
God.  Which  would  not  be  reared  by  the 
agency  of  man,  but  of  which  God  was 
the  immediate  and  direct  architect. 
This  shows  conclusively,  I  think,  that 
the  reference  in  this  allusion  to  the 
"  city"  is  not  to  Jerusalem,  as  Grotius 
supposes;  but  the  language  is  just 
sucli  as  will  appropriately  describe 
heaven,  represented  as  a  city  reared 
without  human  hands  or  art,  and 
founded  and  fashioned  by  the  skill 
and  power  of  the  Deity.  Comp.  Notes 
on  II.  Cor.  V.  I.  The  language  here 
applied  to  God  as  the  '  architect'  or 
framcr  of  the  universe,  is  often  used 
in  the  classic  writers.  See  Kuinoel 
and  Wetstcin.  The  apostle  here  com- 
mends the  faith  of  Abraham  as  emi- 
nently strong.  The  following  hints 
will  furnish  topics  of  reflection  to 
those  wlio  are  disposed  to  inquire  more 
fully  into  its  strength.  (1.)  The  jour- 
ney which  he  undertook  was  then  a 
long  and  dangerous  one.  The  dis- 
tance from  Haran  to  Palestine  by  a 
direct  route  was  not  less  than  four 
hundred  miles,  and  tliis  journey  lay 
across  a  vast  desert — a  part  of  Ara- 
bia Descrta.  Tliat  journey  has  al- 
ways  been  tedious  and  perilous ;  but 
to  see  its  real  ditliculty,  we  must  put 
ourselves  into  tlic  position  in  which 
the  world  was  four  thousand  years 
ago.  There  was  no  knowledge  of 
the  way  ;  no  frequented  patli ;  no  fa- 
cility for  travelling ;  no  turnpike  or 
rail-way ;  and  such  a  journey  then 
must  have  appeared  incomparably 
more  perilous  tiian  almost  any  which 
could  now  be  undertaken.  (2.)  He 
was  going  among  strangers.  Who 
they  were  he  knew  not ;  but  the  im- 
pression could  not  but  have  been  made 
on  his  mind  that  they  were  strangers 
to  religion,  and  tliat  a  residence  among 
them  would  be  anything  but  desira- 
ble. (.3.)  He  was  leaving  country,  and 
home,  and  friends ;  the  place  of  his 
birth  and  the  graves  of  his  fathers. 


A  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XL 


271 


11  Through  faith  also  Sarah  " 
herself  received  strength  to  con- 
ceive seed,  and  was  delivered 
of  a  child  when  she  was  past 

a  Ge.  21.  1,  2. 

with  the  moral  certainty  that  he  would 
see  them  no  more.  (4.)  He  had  no 
right  to  the  country  which  he  went 
to  receive.  He  could  urge  no  claim 
on  the  ground  of  discovery,  or  inher- 
itance, or  conquest  at  any  former  pe- 
riod ;  but  though  he  went  in  a  peace- 
ful manner,  and  with  no  power  to 
take  it,  and  could  urge  no  claim  to  it 
whatever,  yet  he  went  with  the  utmost 
confidence  that  it  would  be  his.  He 
did  not  even  expect  to  buy  it — for  he 
had  no  means  to  do  tliis,  and  it  seems 
never  to  have  entered  his  mind  to  bar- 
gain for  it  in  any  way,  except  for  the 
small  portion  that  he  needed  for  a  bu- 
rying.gromid.  (5.)  He  had  no  means 
of  obtaining  possession.  He  had  no 
wealth  to  purchase  it ;  no  armies  to 
conquer  it ;  no  title  to  it  which  could 
be  enforced  before  the  tribunals  of 
the  land.  The  prospect  of  obtaining 
it  must  have  been  distant,  and  probably 
he  saw  no  means  by  which  it  was 
to  be  done.  In  such  a  case,  his  only 
hope  could  be  in  God.  (6.)  It  is  not 
impossible  that  the  enterprise  in  that 
age  might  have  been  treated  by  the 
friends  of  the  patriarch  as  perfectly 
wild  and  visionary.  The  prevailing 
religion  evidently  was  idolatry,  and  the 
claim  which  Abraham  set  up  to  a  spe- 
cial call  from  the  Most  High,  might 
have  been  deemed  entirely  fanatical. 
To  start  off  on  a  journey  through  a 
pathless  desert ;  to  leave  his  country 
and  home,  and  all  that  he  held  dear, 
when  he  himself  knew  not  whither 
he  went ;  to  go  with  no  means  of  con- 
quest, but  with  the  expectation  that 
the  distant  and  unknown  land  would 
be  given  him,  could  not  but  liave  been 
regarded  as  a  singular  instance  of 
visionary  hope.  The  whole  transac- 
tion, therefore,  was  in  the  highest  de- 
gree an  act  of  simple  confidence  in 
God,  where  there  was  no  human  ba- 
sis of  calculation,  and  where  all  the 


age,    because   she  judged  him 
faithful  *  who  had  promised. 

12    Therefore    spi'ang   there 
even  of  one,  and  him  as  good 

b  c.  10.  23. 


principles  on  which  men  commonly 
act  would  have  led  him  to  pursue  jiist 
the  contrary  course.  It  is,  therefore, 
not  without  reason  that  the  faith  of 
Abraham  is  so  commended. 

1}.  Through  faith  also  Sarah  her- 
self received  strength  to  conceive  seed. 
The  word  '  herself  here — avr!) — im- 
plies that  there  was  something  re- 
markable in  the  fact  that  she  should 
manifest  this  faith.  Perhaps  there 
may  be  reference  here  to  the  incredu- 
lity  with  which  she  at  first  received 
the  announcement  that  she  should 
have  a  child.  Gen.  xviii.  11.  13.  Even 
her  strong  incredulity  was  overcome, 
and  though  everything  seemed  to 
render  what  was  announced  impos- 
sible, and  though  she  was  so  much 
disposed  to  laugh  at  the  very  sugges- 
tion at  first,  yet  her  unbelief  was  over- 
come, and  she  ullimately  credited  the 
divine  promise.  The  apostle  does  not 
state  the  authority  for  his  assertion 
that  the  strength  of  Sarah  was  deriv 
ed  from  her  faith,  nor  ichen  particu- 
larly it  was  exercised.  The  argu- 
ment seems  to  be,  that  here  was  a 
case  where  all  human  probabilities 
were  against  what  was  predicted,  and 
where,  therefore,  there  must  have 
been  simple  trust  in  God.  Nothing 
else  but  faith  could  have  led  her  to 
believe  that  in  her  old  age  she  would 
have  borne  a  son.  If  When  she,  was 
past  age.  She  was  at  this  time  more 
than  ninety  years  of  age.  Gen.  xvii. 
17.  Comp.Gen.xviii.il.  '^Because 
she  judged  him  faithful  who  had  pro- 
mised,. She  had  no  other  ground  of 
confidence  or  expectation.  All  hu- 
man probability  was  against  the  sup- 
position that  at  her  time  of  life  she 
would  be  a  motlier. 

12.  Therefore  sprang  there  even  of 
one.  From  a  single  individual.  What 
is  observed  here  by  the  apostle  as  wor- 
thy of  remark  is,  that  the  whole  Jew- 


272 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


as  dead,  so  many  "  as  the  stars 
of  the  sky  in  multitude,  and  as 
the  sand  which  is  by  the  sea 
shore  innumerable. 

13  These  all  died  '  in  faith, 
not   having   received   the    pro- 

a  Ge.  22. 17  ;  Ro.  4. 17. 


ish  people  sprang  from  one  man,  and 
that  as  the  reward  of  his  strong  faith 
he  was  made  the  fatlier  and  founder 
of  a  nation.  ^  And  him  as  good  as 
dead.  So  far  as  the  subject  under 
discussion  is  concerned.  To  human 
appearance  there  was  no  more  proba- 
bility that  he  would  have  a  son  at 
that  period  of  life  than  that  the  dead 
would  have.  II  So  many  as  the  stars 
in  the  sky,  &,c.  An  innumerable  mul- 
titude. This  was  agreeable  to  the 
promise.  Gen.  xv.  5  ;  xx.  17.  The 
phrases  here  used  are  often  employed 
to  denote  a  vast  multitude,  as  nothing 
appears  more  numerous  than  the  stars 
of  heaven,  or  than  the  sands  that  lie 
on  the  shores  of  the  ocean.  The 
strength  of  faith  in  this  case  was,  that 
there  was  simple  confidence  in  God 
in  the  fulfilment  of  a  promise  where 
all  human  probabilities  were  against 
it.  This  is,  therefore,  an  illustration 
of  the  nature  of  faith.  It  does  not 
depend  on  human  reasoning  ;  on  anal- 
ogy; on  philosophical  probabilities;  on 
the  foreseen  operation  of  natural  laws  ; 
but  on  the  mere  assurance  of  God — 
no  matter  what  may  be  the  difficul- 
ties to  human  view,  or  the  improba- 
bilities against  it. 

13.  These  all  died  in  faith.  That 
is,  those  who  had  been  just  mentioned 
— Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Sarah. 
It  was  true  of  Abel  and  Noah  also 
that  they  died  in  faitli,  but  they  are 
not  included  in  this  declaration,  for 
the  '  promises'  were  not  particularly 
entrusted  to  them,  and  if  tlie  word 
'these'  be  made  to  include  them  it 
must  include  Enoch  also,  who  did  not 
die  at  all.  The  phrase  here  used, 
*  these  all  died  in  faith,''  does  not  mean 
that  they  died  in  the  exercise  or  pos- 
session of  religion,  but  more  strictly 
that  they  died  not  having  possessed 


mises,  but  having  seen  them 
afar  off,  and  were  persuaded 
of  them,  and  embraced  them, 
and  confessed  *  that  they  were 
strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the 
earth. 

1  according  to.        b  1  Cli.  2D.  15 ;  1  Pe.  2.  11. 

what  was  tlie  object  of  their  faitli. 
They  had  been  looking  for  something 
future,  which  they  did  not  obtain 
during  their  lifetime,  and  died  believ- 
ing that  it  would  yet  be  theirs.  H  Not 
having  received  the  promises.  That  is, 
not  having  received  the  fulfilment  of 
the  promises ;  or  the  promised  bless- 
ings. The  promises  themselves  they 
had  received.  Comp.  Luke  xxiv.  4'J  ; 
Acts  i.  4.  11.  33 ;  Gal.  iii.  14,  and  vs, 
33.  3'J  of  this  chapter.  In  all  these 
places  the  word  promise  is  used  by 
Metonymy  for  the  thing  promised. 
IT  But  having  seen  them  afar  off.  Hav- 
ing seen  that  they  would  be  fulfilled 
in  future  times.  Conip.  John  viii.  56. 
It  is  probable  that  the  apostle  here 
means  that  they  saw  the  entire  fulfil- 
ment of  all  that  the  promises  embraced 
in  the  future — that  is,  the  bestowment 
of  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  certainty 
of  a  numerous  posterity,  and  of  the 
entrance  into  the  heavenly  Canaan 
— the  world  of  fixed  and  permanent 
rest.  According  to  tiic  reason  injr 
of  the  apostle  here  tlie  '  promises'  to 
which  they  trusted  included  all  these 
tilings.  ^  And  were  persuaded  of 
them.  Had  no  doubt  of  their  reality. 
If  And  embraced  them.  This  word 
implies  more  than  our  word  embrace 
frequently  does;  that  is,  to  receive  as 
true.  It  means  properly  to  draw  to 
one's  self;  and  then  to  embrace  as  one 
does  a  friend  from  whom  he  has  been 
separated.  It  then  means  to  greet, 
salute,  Welcome,  and  here  means  a 
joyful  greeting  of  those  promises  ;  or 
a  pressing  them  to  the  heart  as  we  do 
a  iiicnd.  It  was  not  a  cold  and  for- 
mal reception  of  tliem,  but  a  warm 
and  hearty  welcome.  Such  is  the  na- 
ture  of  true  faith  when  it  cmbr.aces 
the  promises  of  salvation.  No  act  of 
pressing  a  friend  to  the  bosom  is  ever 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAKFER  XI. 


273 


14  For  they  that  say  such 
things,  declare  plainly  that  they 
seek  a  country. 

15  And  truly  if  they  had  been 

more  warm  and  cordial.  ^  Atid  con. 
fessed  that  they  v;ere  strangers.  Tlius 
Abraham  said  (Gen.  xxiii.  4),  "  I  am 
a  stranger  and  a  sojourner  with  you." 
That  is,  he  regarded  himself  as  a  fo- 
reigner ;  as  having  no  home  and  no 
possessions  there.  It  was  on  this 
ground  that  he  proposed  to  buy  a  bu- 
rial-place of  the  sons  of  Heth.  IT  And 
pilgrims.  This  is  the  word — Trape-ni&ij- 
lioi — which  is  used  by  Abraham,  as 
rendered  by  the  Lxx.  in  Gen.  xxiii.  4, 
and  which  is  there  translated  'so- 
journer' in  the  common  English  ver- 
sion. The  word  -pilgrim  means  pro- 
perly a  ivanderer,  a  traveller,  and  par- 
ticularly one  who  leaves  his  own 
country  to  visit  a  holy  place.  This 
sense  does  not  quite  suit  the  meaning 
here,  or  in  Gen.  xxiii.  4.  The  Hebrew 
word  —  3iyin  —  means    properly  one 

who  dioells  in  a  place,  and  particularly 
one  who  is  a  mere  resident  without 
the  rights  of  a  citizen.  The  Greek 
word  means  a  hy-resident ;  one  who 
lives  by  another ;  or  among  a  people 
not  his  own.  This  is  the  idea  here. 
It  is  not  that  they  confessed  them- 
selves to  be  wanderers,  or  that  they 
had  left  their  home  to  visit  a  holy 
place,  but  that  they  resided  as  mere 
sojourners  in  a  country  that  was  not 
theirs.  What  might  be  their  ultimate 
destination,  or  their  purpose,  is  not 
implied  in  the  meaning  of  the  word. 
They  were  such  as  reside  awhile 
among  another  people,  but  have  no 
permanent  home  there.  IT  On  the  earth. 
The  phrase  here  used — 1-1  r^j  yni — 
might  mean  merely  o;i  the  land  of 
Canaan,  but  the  apostle  evidently  uses 
it  in  a  larger  sense  as  denoting  the 
earth  in  general.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  this  accords  with  the  views 
which  the  patriarclis  had — regarding 
themselves  not  only  as  strangers  in 
he  land  of  Canaan,  but  feeling  that 
-ho  same  thing  was  true  in  reference 


mindful  of  that  country  from 
whence  they  came  out,  they 
might  have  had  opportunity  to 
have  returned : 

to  their  whole  residence  upon  the 
earth — that  it  was  not  their  permanent 
home. 

1 4.  For  they  that  say  such  things,  &i,c. 
That  speak  of  themselves  as  having 
come  into  a  land  of  strangers;  and 
that  negotiate  for  a  small  piece  of 
land,  not  to  cultivate,  but  to  bury  their 
dead.  So  we  should  think  of  any 
strange  people  coming  among  us  now 
— who  lived  in  tents;  who  frequently 
changed  their  residence ;  who  be- 
came the  purchasers  of  no  land  ex 
cept  to  bury  their  dead,  and  who  never 
spake  of  becoming  permanent  resi- 
dents. We  should  think  that  they 
were  in  search  of  some  place  as  their 
home,  and  that  they  had  not  yet  found 
it.  Such  people  were  the  Hebrew 
patriarchs.  They  lived  and  acted  just 
as  if  they  had  not  yet  found  a  perma- 
nent habitation,  but  were  travelling 
in  search  of  one. 

15.  And.  truly  if  they  had  been  mind' 
ful  of  that  country,  &c.  If  they  had 
remembered  it  with  sutficient  interest 
and  affection  to  have  made  them  de- 
sirous to  return.  If  They  might  have 
had  opportunity  to  have  returned.  The 
journey  was  not  so  long  or  perilous 
that  they  could  not  have  retraced  their 
steps.  It  would  have  been  no  more 
ditHcult  or  dangerous  for  them  to  do 
that  than  it  was  to  make  the  journey 
at  first.  This  shows  that  their  re- 
maining as  strangers  and  sojourners 
in  the  land  of  Canaan  was  voluntary. 
They  preferred  it,  witii  all  its  incon- 
veniences and  hardships,  to  a  return 
to  their  native  land.  The  same  thing 
is  true  of  all  the  people  of  God  now. 
If  they  choose  to  return  to  the  world, 
and  to  engage  again  in  all  its  vain 
pursuits,  there  is  nothing  to  hinder 
them.  There  are  'opportunities' 
enough.  There  are  abundant  induce- 
ments held  out.  There  are  numerous 
gay  and  worldly  friends  who  would 
regard  it  as  a  matter  of  joy  and  tri- 


274 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


16  But  now  they  desire  a 
better  country,  that  is,  an  hea- 
venly :    wherefore  God  is    not 

a  Ex.  3.  6.  15. 


urnph  to  have  them  return  to  vanity 
and  folly  ajrain.  Tiiey  would  welcoruc 
tlicin  to  thuir  society ;  rejoice  to  have 
tiieni  participate  in  their  pleasures ; 
and  be  willing-  that  they  should  share 
in  the  lionours  and  the  wealth  of 
the  world.  And  they  might  do  it. 
Tiiere  arc  multitudes  of"  Christians 
who  could  grace,  as  they  once  did, 
the  ball-room  ;  who  could  charm  the 
social  party  by  song  and  wit ;  who 
could  rise  to  the  highest  posts  of  of- 
fice, or  compete  successfully  with 
others  in  tlie  race  for  the  acquisition 
of  fame.  They  have  seen  and  tasted 
enough  of  the  vain  pursuits  of  tiie 
world  to  satisfy  them  with  their  va- 
nity ;  they  are  convinced  of  the  sin- 
fulness of  making  these  things  the 
great  objects  of  living ;  tlicir  affec- 
tions are  now  fixed  on  higher  and 
nobler  objects,  and  they  choose  not  to 
return  to  those  pursuits  again,  but  to 
live  as  strangers  and  sojourners  on 
the  earth — for  there  is  nothing  more 
voluntary  than  religion. 

16.  But  now  they  desire  a  better 
country,  that  is,  an  heavenly.  That  is, 
at  the  time  referred  to  when  they  con- 
fessed that  they  were  strangers  and 
sojourners,  they  showed  tiiat  they 
sought  a  better  country  than  the  one 
which  they  had  left.  Tiiey  lived  as 
if  they  had  no  expectation  of  a  per- 
manent residence  on  earth,  and  were 
looking  to  another  world.  The  argu- 
ment of  the  apostle  here  appears  to 
be  based  on  what  is  apparent  from 
the  whole  Jiistory,  that  they  had  a 
confident  belief  tjiat  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan would  be  given  to  their  posterity, 
but  as  for  themselves  they  had  no  ex- 
pectation of  permanently  dwelling 
there,  but  looked  to  a  home  in  the 
heavenly  country.  Hence  they  formed 
no  plans  for  con(iuest ;  they  laid  cl.iim 
to  no  title  in  the  soil ;  tliey  made  no 
purchases  of  farms  for  cultivation ; 
they  lived  and  died  without  owning 


ashamed  to  be  called  theirGod;" 
for  he  hath  prepared  for  them  a 
city.* 

6  ver.  10.       . 

any  land  except  enough  to  bury  their 
deud.  All  this  appears  as  if  they 
looked  for  a  final  home  in  a  '  better 
country,  even  a  heavenly.'  ^  Where, 
fore  God  is  not  ashamed  to  be  called 
thf.ir  God.  Since  they  had  such  an 
elevated  aim,  he  was  willing  to  speak 
of  himself  as  their  God  and  Friend. 
They  acted  as  became  his  friends, 
and  he  was  not  ashamed  of  the  rela- 
tion which  he  sustained  to  them.  The 
language  to  which  the  apostle  evi- 
dently refers  here  is  that  which  is 
found  in  Ex.  iii.  6,  "  I  am  the  God  of 
Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  tho 
God  of  Jacob."  We  are  not  to  sup. 
pose  that  God  is  ever  asAa/netZ  of  any- 
thing that  he  does.  Tlie  meaning 
here  is,  that  they  liad  acted  in  such 
a  manner  that  it  was  fit  that  iie  should 
show  towards  them  tlie  character  of 
a  Benefactor,  Protectoi-,  and  Friend. 
If  For  he  hath  prepared  for  them  a  city. 
Such  as  they  had  expected — a  hea- 
venly residence.  Ver.  10.  There  is 
evidently  here  a  reference  to  heaven, 
represented  as  a  city — the  New  Jeru- 
salem— prepared  for  Jiis  people  by  God 
himself.  Comp.  Notes  on  Matt.  xxv. 
34.  Thus  they  obtained  what  they 
had  looked  for  by  faith.  The  wan- 
dering  and  unsettled  patriarchs  to 
whom  tlie  promise  was  made,  and 
who  showed  all  their  lives  that  they 
regarded  themselves  as  strangers  and 
pilgrim.^,  were  admitted  to  the  home 
of  permanent  rest;  and  their  poste- 
rity was  ultimately  admitted  to  the 
possession  of  tjie  promised  land.  No- 
thing could  more  certainly  demon- 
strate that  the  patriarchs  believed  in 
a  future  state  than  this  passage. 
They  did  not  expect  a  permanent 
home  on  earth.  They  made  no  efforts 
to  enter  into  the  possession  of  the  pro 
mised  land  themselves.  They  quietly 
and  calm!}'  waited  for  tlie  time  when 
God  vi'ould  give  it  to  their  posterity, 
and  in  the  meantime  for  themsclvea 


A<  D.  04.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


275 


17  By  faith  Abraham,  when  " 
he  was  tried,  offered  up  Isaac  ?' 
and  he  that  had   received   the 

a  Ge.  22.  1,  Sue;    Ja.  2.  21. 

they  looked  forward  to  their  perma- 
nent home  in  the  lieavens.  Even  in 
this  early  period  of  tlie  world,  there- 
fore, there  was  the  confident  expecta- 
tion of  the  future  state.  Comp.  Notes 
on  Matt.  xxii.  31,  32.  We  may  re. 
mark,  that  the  life  of  the  patriarchs 
was,  in  all  essential  respects,  such  as 
we  should  lead.  They  looked  forward 
to  heaven  ;  they  sought  no  permanent 
possessions  here  ;  they  regarded  tliem- 
selves  as  strangers  and  pilgrims  on 
the  earth.  So  should  we  be.  In  our 
more  fixed  and  settled  habits  of  life  ; 
in  our  quiet  homes  ;  in  our  residence 
in  the  land  in  which  we  were  born, 
and  in  the  society  of  old  and  tried 
friends,  we  should  yet  regard  our- 
selves as  '  strangers  and  sojourners.' 
We  have  here  no  fixed  abode.  The 
houses  in  which  we  dwell  will  soon 
be  occupied  by  others ;  the  paths  in 
which  we  go  will  soon  be  trod  by  the 
feet  of  others;  the  field.s  which  we 
cultivate  will  soon  be  ploughed  and 
sown  and  reaped  by  others.  Others 
will  read  the  books  which  we  read ; 
sit  down  at  the  tables  where  we  sit; 
lie  on  the  beds  where  we  repose; 
occupy  the  chambers  where  we  siiall 
die,  and  from  whence  we  shall  be 
removed  to  our  graves.  If  wc  have 
any  permanent  home,  it  is  in  heaven  ; 
and  that  we  have,  the  faithful  lives 
of  the  patriarchs  teach  us,  and  the 
unerring  word  of  God  everywhere 
assures  us. 

17.  By  faith  Abraham.  The  apos- 
tle had  stated  one  strong  instance  of 
the  faith  of  AbraiiLini,  and  he  now  re- 
fers to  one  still  more  remarkable — 
the  strongest  illustration  of  faitli,  un- 
doubtedly, whicli  has  ever  been  evinced 
in  our  world.  "^  When  he  was  tried. 
The  word  here  used  is  rendered  tempt- 
ed, in  Matt.  iv.  1.  3;  xvi.  1  ;  xix.  3; 
xxii.  18.  3.5,  and  in  twenty -two  other 
places  in  the  Nevv^  Testament;  prove, 
in  John  vi.  6 ;  hath  gone  about,  in  Act.-^ 


promises,  offered   up  his  only- 
begotten  son, 

18  '  Of  whom  it  was  said, '' 

•  or,  To.  b  Ge.  21.  12. 


xxiv.  6  ;  examine,  II.  Cor.  xiii.  5  ;  and 
tried,  in  Rev.  ii.  2.  10 ;  iii.  10.  It 
does  not  mean  here,  as  it  often  does, 
to  place  inducements  before  one  to 
lead  him  to  do  wrong,  but  to  subject 
his  faith  to  a  trial  in  ord,er  to  test  its 
genuineness  and  strength.  The  mean- 
ing here  is,  that  Abraham  was  placed 
in  circumstances  wliich  showed  what 
was  the  real  strength  of  his  confi- 
dence in  God.  If  Offered  vp  Isaac, 
That  is,  he  showed  that  he  was  ready 
and  willing  fo  make  the  sacrifice,  and 
would  have  done  it  if  he  had  not 
been  restrained  by  the  voice  of  the 
angel.  Gen.  xxii.  11,  12.  So  far  as 
tJic  intention  of  Abraham  was  con- 
cerned, the  deed  was  done,  for  he  had 
made  every  preparation  for  the  offer- 
ing, and  was  actually  about  to  take 
the  life  of  his  son.  ^  And  he  that 
had  received  the  promises  offered  up 
his  only-begotten  son.  The  promises 
particularly  of  a  numerous  posterity. 
The  fulfilment  of  those  promises  de- 
pended on  him  whom  he  was  now 
about  to  offer  as  a  sacrifice.  If  Abra- 
ham had  been  surrounded  with  child- 
ren, or  if  no  special  promise  of  a  nu- 
merous  posterity  had  been  made  to 
him,  this  act  would  not  have  been  so 
remarkable.  It  would  in  any  case 
have  been  a  strong  act  of  faith ;  it 
was  peculiarly  strong  in  his  case  from 
tlie  circumstances  that  he  had  an  only 
son,  and  that  the  fulfilment  of  the  pro- 
mise depended  on  his  life. 

18.  Of  whom  it  icas  said,  that  in 
Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be  called.  Gen. 
xxi.  12.  A  numerous  posterity  had 
been  promised  to  him.  It  was  there 
said  expressly  tliat  tliis  promise  was 
not  to  be  fulfilled  through  the  son  of 
Abraham  by  the  bond-woman  Hagar, 
but  through  Isaac.  Of  course,  it  was 
implied  th.at  Isaac  was  to  reach  man- 
hood, and  yet  notwithstanding  this, 
and  notwithstanding  Abraham  fully 
believed  it,  he  prepared  deliberately, 


276 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4, 


That  in  Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be 
called  : 

19  Accounting  that  God  was 

in  obedience  to  tue  divine  command, 
to  put  him  to  death.   Tlie  phrase  '  tJiy 
seed  bo  called'  means,  that  his  poster- 
ity was  to  be  named  after  Isaac,  or 
was  to  descend  only  from  him.     The 
word  ^called''  in  the  Scriptures  is  of- 
ten equivaleiit  to  the  verb  to  be.     See 
Isa.  Ivi,  7.     To  name  or  call  a  thing 
was  the  same  as  to  say  tiiat  it  was, 
or  that  it  existed.     It  docs  not  mean 
here  that  his  spiritual  children  were 
to  be  called  or  selected  from  among 
the  posterity  of  Isaac,  but  that  the 
posterity  promised  to  Abraham  would 
descend  neither  from  Ishmael  nor  the 
sons  of  Keturah,  but  in  the  line  of 
Isaac.   This  is  a  strong  circumstance 
insisted  on    by  the  apostle   to   show 
the  strength  of  Abraham's  faith.     It 
was  shown  not  only  by  Jiis  willing, 
ness  to  offer  up  the  child  of  his  old 
age — his  only  son  by  his  beloved  wife, 
but  by  his  readiness,  at  the  command 
of    God,   to    sacrifice    even   him    on 
whom  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises 
depen(^ed. 

19.  Accounting  that  God  was  able 
to  raise  him  up,  even  from  the  dead. 
And  that  he  would  do  it ;  for  so  Abra- 
ham evidently  believed,  and  this  idea 
is  plainly  implied  in  the  whole  narra- 
tive. There  was  no  other  way  in 
which  the  promise  could  be  fulfilled ; 
and  Abraham  reasoned  justly  in  the 
case.  He  had  received  the  promise 
of  a  numerous  posterit}'.  He  liad 
been  told  expressly  that  it  was  to  be 
through  this  favourite  child.  He  was 
now  commanded  to  put  liim  to  death 
as  a  sacrifice,  and  lie  prepared  to  do 
it.  To  fulfil  these  promises,  there- 
fore, there  was  no  other  way  possible 
but  for  him  to  be  raised  up  from  the 
dead,  and  Abraham  fully  bLlieved 
that  it  would  be  done.  The  child  had 
been  given  to  him  at  first  in  a  super- 
natural manner,  and  he  was  prepared, 
therefore,  to  believe  that  he  would  be 
restored  to  him  again  by  miracle.  He 
did  not  doubt  that  he  who  had  given 


able  to  raise  him  up,  even  from 
the  dead  ;  from  whence  also  he 
received  him  in  a  figure. 


iiim  to  him  at  first  in  a  manner  so 
contrary  to  all  human  probability, 
could  restore  him  again  in  a  method 
as  extraordinary.  He,  therefore,  an- 
ticipated  that  he  would  raise  him  up 
immediately  from  the  dead.  That 
this  was  tlie  expectation  of  Abraham 
is  apparent  from  the  narrative  in  Gen. 
xxii.  5.  "  And  Abraham  said  unto 
his  young  men,  Abide  ye  here  with 
the  ass ;  and  I  and  the  lad  will  go 
yonder  and  worship,  and  come  again 

to  you-;'  in  the  plural— DD''^X  nj^Jl 
— '  and  we  will  return  ;'  that  is,  I  and 
Isaac  will  return,  for  no  other  persons 
went  with  them.     Ver.  6.     As  Abra- 
ham  went  with  the  full  expectation 
of  sacrificing  Isaac,  and  as  he  expect- 
ed Isaac  to  return  with  him,  it  fol- 
lows that  he  believed  that  God  would 
raise  him   up  immediately  from  the 
dead.   IT  Frc>?i  whence  also  he  leceived 
him   in   a  Jigure.     There    has    been 
great  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
sense  of  this  passage,  but  it  seems  to 
me  to  be  plain.     I'he  obvious  inter- 
pretation   is,  that    he    then  received 
liim  by  his  being  raised  up  from  the 
altar  as  if  from  the  dead.     He  was 
to  Abraham  dead.    He  had  given  him 
up.     He  had  prepared  to  offer  him  as 
a  sacrifice.     He  lay  there  before  liim 
as    one   who  was   dead.     From  that 
altar  he  was  raised  up  by  direct  di- 
vine interposition,  as  if  he  was  rais- 
ed  trom  the  grave,  and  tliis  was  to 
Abraham    a  Jigure  or  a  representa- 
tion of  the  resurrection.    Other  inter- 
pretations may  be  seen  in   Stuart  in 
loc.  —  The    following    circumstances 
will  illustrate  the  strength  of  Abra- 
ham's faith  in  this  remarkable  trans- 
action.    (1.)  The   strong    persuasion 
on  his  mind  that  God  had  command- 
ed tliis.     In  a  case  of  this  nature — 
where  such  a  sacrifice  was  required 
— how  natural  would  it  have  been  for 
a  more  tbeblc  faith  to  have  doubted 
whether  the  command  came  from  God ! 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XL 


277 


It  might  have  been  suggested  to  such 
a  mind  that  this  7nust  be  a  delusion, 
or  a  temptation  of  Satan ;  that  God 
could  not  require  such  a  thing ; 
and  that  whatever  might  be  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  divine  command  in  the 
case,  there  must  be  some  deception 
about  it.  Yet  Abraham  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  reasoned  about  it  at  all, 
or  to  have  allowed  the  strong  feelings 
of  a  father  to  come  in  to  modify  his 
cor.viction  that  God  had  commanded 
him  to  give  up  his  son.  What  an 
example  is  this  to  us  !  And  how  rea- 
dy should  we  be  to  yield  up  a  son — 
an  only  son — when  God  comes  him- 
self and  removes  him  from  us.  (2.) 
The  strength  of  his  faith  was  seen 
in  the  fact  that  in  obedience  to  the 
simple  command  of  God,  all  the  strong 
feelings  of  a  father  were  overcome. 
On  the  one  hand  tlicre  were  his  warm 
affections  for  an  only  son  ;  and  on  the 
other  there  was  the  simple  command 
of  God.  They  came  in  collision  — 
but  Abraham  did  not  hesitate  a  mo- 
ment. The  strong  paternal  feeling  was 
sacrificed  at  once.  What  an  example 
this  too  for  us  !  When  the  command 
of  God  and  our  own  attachments 
come  into  collision,  we  should  not  hes- 
itate a  moment.  God  is  to  be  obeyed. 
His  command  and  arrangements  are 
to  be  yielded  to,  though  most  tender 
ties  are  rent  asunder,  and  though  the 
heart  bleeds.  (3.)  The  strength  of 
his  faith  was  seen  in  the  fact,  that,  in 
obedience  to  the  command  of  God,  he 
resolved  to  do  what  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world  would  be  regarded  as  a  most 
awful  crime.  There  is  no  crime  of  a 
higher  grade  than  the  murder  of  a 
son  by  the  hand  of  a  father.  So  it  is 
now  estimated  by  the  world,  and  so 
it  would  have  been  in  the  time  of 
Abraham.  All  the  laws  of  God  and 
of  society  appeared  to  be  against  the 
act  which  Abraham  was  about  to  com- 
mit, and  he  went  forth  not  ignorant 
of  the  estimate  which  the  world  would 
put  on  this  deed  if  it  were  known. 
How  natural  in  such  circumstances 
would  it  have  been  to  argue  that  God 
could  not  possibly  give  such  a  com. 
mand ;  that  it  was  against  ail  the  laws 
24 


of  heaven  and  earth  ;  that  there  was 
required  in  this  what  God  and  man 
alike  must  and  would  pronounce  to 
be  wrong  and  abominable !  Yet  Abra- 
ham did  not  hesitate.  The  command 
of  God  in  the  case  was  to  his  mind  a 
sufficient  proof  that  tliis  was  right — 
and  it  should  teach  us  that  whatever 
our  Maker  commands  us  should  be 
done  —  no  matter  what  may  be  the 
estimate  affixed  to  it  by  human  laws, 
and  no  matter  how  it  may  be  regard- 
ed by  the  world.  (4.)  The  strength 
of  his  faith  was  seen  in  the  fact  that 
there  was  a  positive  promise  of  God 
to  himself  which  would  seein  to  be 
frustrated  by  what  he  was  about  to 
do.  God  had  expressly  promised  to 
him  a  numerous  posterity,  and  had 
said  that  it  was  to  be  through  this 
son.  How  could  this  be  if  he  was 
put  to  death  as  a  sacrifice  ?  And  how 
could  God  command  such  a  thing 
when  his  promise  was  thus  positive  ? 
Yet  Abraham  did  not  hesitate.  It 
was  not  for  him  to  reconcile  these 
things ;  it  was  his  to  obey.  He  did 
not  doubt  that  somehow  all  that  God 
had  said  would  prove  to  be  true  ;  and 
as  he  saw  but  one  way  in  which  it 
could  be  done — by  his  being  immedi- 
ately restored  to  life — he  concluded 
that  that  was  to  be  the  way.  So  when 
God  utters  his  will  to  us,  it  is  ours 
simply  to  obey.  It  is  not  to  inquire 
in  what  way  his  commands  or  reveal-' 
ed  truth  can  be  reconciled  with  other 
things.  He  will  himself  take  care 
of  that.  It  is  ours  at  once  to  yield 
to  what  he  commands,  and  to  believe 
that  somehow  all  that  he  has  required 
and  said  will  be  consistent  with  every- 
thing else  which  he  has  uttered.  (5.) 
The  strength  of  the  faith  of  Abra- 
ham was  seen  in  his  belief  that  God 
would  raise  his  son  from  the  dead. 
Of  that  he  had  no  doubt.  But  what 
evidence  had  he  of  that  ?  It  had  not 
been  promised.  No  case  of  the  kind 
had  ever  occurred;  and  the  subject 
was  attended  with  all  the  difficulties 
which  attend  it  now.  But  Abraham 
believed  it;  for,  first,  there  was  no 
other  way  in  which  the  promise  of 
God   could   be  fulfilled;  and    second. 


278 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  (-.1. 


20  By  faith  Isaac  "  blessed 
Jacob  and  Esau  concerning 
tilings  to  come. 

21  By  faith  Jacob,  when  he 

a  Gc.  27.  27-40. 

such  a  thing  would  be  no  more  re- 
markable than  what  had  already  oc- 
curred. It  was  as  easy  for  God  to 
raise  him  from  the  dead  as  it  was  to 
give  him  at  first  contrary  to  all  tiie 
probabilities  of  the  case,  and  lie  did 
not,  therefore,  doubt  that  it  would  be 
so.  Is  it  less  easy  for  us  to  believe 
the  doctrine  of  tlie  resurrection  tlian 
it  was  for  Abraham  ?  Is  the  subject 
attended  with  more  diiHculties  now 
tlian  it  was  then  ?  The  faith  of  jV^tra- 
hani  in  this  remarkable  instance  shows 
us  that  the  doctrine  of  tlie  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  notwithstanding  the 
limited  revelations  then  enjoyed,  and 
all  the  obvious  difficulties  of  the  case, 
was  early  believed  in  the  world ;  and 
as  those  dilKcaltics  are  no  greater 
now,  and  as  new  light  has  been  shed 
upon  it  b}'  subsequent  revelations,  and 
especially  as  in  more  than  one  in- 
stance the  dead  have  been  actually 
raised,  those  difficulties  should  not  be 
allowed  to  make  us  doubt  it  now. 

20.  By  faith  Isaac  blessed  Jacob 
and  Esau  concernins  things  to  come. 
See  Gen.  xx.vii.  26 — 40.  The  mean- 
ing is,  that  he  pronounced  a  blessing 
on  them  in  respect  to  their  future 
condition.  This  was  by  faith  in  God 
wlio  had  communicated  it  to  him, 
and  in  full  confidence  that  he  would 
accomplish  all  that  was  here  predict- 
ed. The  act  of  faith  here  was  simply 
that  which  believes  that  all  that  God 
says  is  true.  There  were  no  human 
probabilities  at  the  time  when  these 
prophetic  announcements  were  made, 
which  could  have  been  the  basis  of 
Jiis  calculation,  but  all  that  he  said 
must  have  rested  merely  on  the  be- 
lief that  God  had  revealed  it  to  him. 
A  blessing  was  pronounced  on  each, 
of  a  very  different  nature,  but  Isaac 
liad  no  doubt  that  both  would  be  ful- 
filled 


was  a  dying,  blessed  *  both  the 
sons  of  Joseph ;  and  worship- 
ped, leaning  "  upon  the  top  of 
his  staff. 

»Ge.  48.  &-20.  eGe.47.  31. 


21.  Bi/  faith  Jacob,  when  he  was  a 
dying.  Gen.  xlvii.  31  ;  xlviii.  1 — 20. 
That  is,  when  he  was  about  to  die. 
He  saw  his  death  near  when  he  pro- 
nounced this  blessing  on  Ephraim 
and  Manassch,  the  sons  of  Joseph. 
^  And  worshipped,  leaning  upon  the 
top  of  his  slajf.  This  is  an  exact 
quotation  from  the  Septuagint  in  Gen. 
xlvii.  31.  The  English  version  of 
that  place  is,  "  and  Israel  bowed  him- 
self upon  the  bed's  head,"  which  is  a 
proper  translation,  in  the  main,  of  the 
word  n£3?D — mitleh.  That  word,  how- 
ever,   with    different    points  —  DtSO 

malleh,  means  a  branch,  a  bough,  a 
rod,  a  staff,  and  the  translators  of  tlie 
Septuagint  have  so  rendered  it.  The 
Masoretic  points  are  of  no  authority, 
and  either  translation,  therefore,  would 
be  proper.  The  word  rendered  '  head' 
in  Gen.  xlvii.  31. — 'bed's  AeatZ'-^jy^T 
—  rosh,  means  properly  head,  but 
may  there  mean  the  lop  of  anything, 
and  there  is  no  impropriety  in  apply- 
ing it  to  the  head  or  top  of  a  staff. 
The  word  rendered  in  Gen.  xlvii.  31. 
bowed — ■inr\K'''1 — implies  properly  tlie 

idea  of  worshipping.  It  is  bowing,  or 
prostration  for  tlie  purpose  of  worship 
or  homage.  Though  the  Septuagint 
and  the  apostle  here  have,  therefore, 
given  a  somewhat  different  version 
from  that  commonly  given  of  the  He- 
brew, and  sustained  by  the  Masoretic 
pointing,  yet  it  cannot  be  dcmonstrat- 
ed  that  the  version  is  unauthorized, 
or  that  it  is  not  a  fair  translation  of 
the  Hebrew.  It  has  also  the  proba- 
bilities  of  the  case  in  its  favour.  Ja- 
cob was  tenderly  alfocted  in  view  of 
the  goodness  of  God,  and  of  the  assu- 
rance that  he  would  be  conveyed  from 
Egypt  wlien  he  died,  and  buried  in 
the  land  of  his  fathers.  Deeply  im- 
pressed with  this,  nothing  was  mors 


A..  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  XL 


279 


22  By  faith  Joseph,  "  when 
he  died,  made  '  mention  of  the 
departing  of  the  children  of 
Israel ;  and  gave  commandment 
concerning  his  bones. 

a  Ge.  50.  24,  25.  1  or,  remembered. 

b  Ex.  2.  2.  c  Ex.  1.  ItJ,  22. 

natural  than  that  the  old  man  should 
lean  reverently  forward  and  incline 
his  head  upon  the  top  of  his  staff,  and 
adore  the  covenant  faithfulness  of  his 
God.  Such  an  image  is  much  more 
natural  and  probable  than  that  lie 
should  '  bow  upon  his  bed's  head' — a 
phrase  which  at  best  is  not  very  in- 
telligible. If  this  be  the  true  account, 
then  the  apostle  does  not  refer  here 
to  what  was  done  when  he  '  blessed 
the  sons  of  Joseph,'  but  to  an  act  ex- 
pressive of  strong  faith  in  God  which 
had  occurred  just  before.  The  mean- 
ing then  is,  '  By  faith  when  about  to 
die  he  blessed  the  sons  of  Joseph  ; 
and  by  faith  also  he  reverently  bowed 
before  God  in  the  belief  that  when  he 
died  his  remains  would  be  conveyed 
to  the  promised  land,  and  expressed 
his  gratitude  in  an  act  of  worship, 
leaning  reverently  on  the  top  of  his 
staff.'  The  order  in  which  these 
things  are  mentioned  is  of  no  conse- 
quence, and  thus  the  whole  difficulty 
in  the  case  vanishes.  Both  the  acts 
here  referred  to  were  expressive  of 
strong  confidence  in  God. 

22.  By  failh  Joseph  when  he  died. 
When  about  to  die.  See  Gen.  1.*  24, 
25.  IT  Made  mention  of  the  departing 
of  the  children  of  Israel.  Marg.  're- 
membered.''  The  meaning  is,  that  he 
called  this  to  their  mind  ;  he  spake 
of  it.  "  And  Joseph  said  unto  liis 
brethren,  I  die  ;  and  God  will  surely 
visit  you,  and  bring  you  out  of  this 
land  unto  tlie  land  which  he  sware  to 
Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob." 
This  prediction  of  Joseph  could  have 
rested  only  on  faith  in  the  promise  of 
God.  There  were  no  events  then  oc- 
curring which  would  be  likely  to  lead 
to  this,  and  nothing  which  could  be  a 
basis  of  calculation  that  it  would  be 


23  By  faith  Moses,  when  he 
was  born,  was  hid  *  three 
months  of  his  parents,  because 
they  saw  he  was  a  proper  child  ; 
and  they  were  not  afraid  of  the 
king's  commandment.' 


so,  except  what  God  had  spoken. 
The  faith  of  Joseph,  then,  was  simple 
confidence  in  God  ;  and  its  strength 
was  seen  in  his  firm  conviction  that 
what  had  been  promised  would  be 
fulfilled,  even  when  there  were  no  ap- 
pearances that  to  human  view  justi- 
fied it.  ^  And  gave  commandment 
concerning  his  bones.  Gen.  1.  25. 
"  And  Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  saying,  God  will 
surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry 
up  my  bones  from  hence."  He  had 
such  a  firm  belief  that  they  would 
possess  the  land  of  promise,  that  he 
exacted  an  oath  of  them  that  they 
would  remove  his  remains  with  them, 
that  he  might  be  buried  in  the  land 
of  his  fathers.  He  could  not  have 
exacted  this  oath,  nor  could  they  have 
taken  it,  unless  both  he  and  they  had 
a  sure  confidence  that  what  God.  had 
spoken  would  be  performed. 

23.  By  faith  Moses,  lohen  he  was  born. 
That  is,  by  the  faith  of  his  parents. 
The  faith  of  Moses  himself  is  com- 
mended in  the  following  verses.  The 
statement  of  the  apostle  here  is,  that 
his  parents  were  led  to  preserve  his 
life  by  their  confidence  in  God.  They 
believed  that  he  was  destined  to  some 
great  purpose,  and  that  he  would  be 
spared,  notwithstanding  all  the  proba- 
bilities against  it,  and  all  the  difficul- 
ties in  the  case.  IT  Was  hid  three 
months  of  his  parents.  By  his  parents. 
In  Ex.  ii.  2,  it  is  said  that  it  was  done 
by  his  mother.  The  truth  doubtless 
was,  that  the  mother  was  the  agent 
in  doing  it  —  since  the  concealment, 
probably,  could  be  better  effected  by 
one  than  where  two  were  employed — 
but  that  the  father  also  concurred  in 
it  is  morally  certain.  The  conceal 
ment  was,  at  first,  probably  in  their 


280 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


24  By  faith  Moses,  "  when  he 
was  come  to  years,  refused  to 

a  Ex.2.  10,  II. 

own  house.  The  coinina.nd  seems 
to  have  been  ^Ex.  i.  2:2),  that  the  child 
should  be  cast  into  the  river  as  soon 
as  born.  This  child  was  concealed 
in  the  hope  that  some  way  might  be 
found  out  by  which  liis  lite  might  be 
spared.  ^  Because  they  saw  he  was 
a  proper  child.  A  fair,  or  beautiful 
child  —  aiTTtiov.  The  word  properly 
means  pertaining  to  a  city  —  (from 
aarv,  a  city ;)  then  urbane,  polished, 
elegant;  then  fair,  beautiful.  In  Acts 
vii.  20,  it  is  said  that  he  was  ^fiiir  to 
God^  (Marg.) ;  that  is,  exceedingly 
fair,  or  very  handsome.  His  extra- 
ordinary beauty  seems  to  have  been  the 
reason  which  particularly  influenced 
his  parents  to  attempt  to  preserve 
him.  It  is  not  impossible  tiiat  they 
supposed  that  his  uncommon  beauty 
indicated  that  he  was  destined  to  some 
important  service  in  life,  and  that 
they  were  on  that  account  the  more 
anxious  to  save  him.  'i  And  they 
were  not  afraid  of  the  king''s  com- 
mandment. Requiring  that  all  male 
children  should  be  given  up  to  be 
thrown  into  the  Nile.  That  is,  they 
were  not  so  alarmed,  or  did  not  so 
dread  the  king,  as  to  be  induced  to 
comply  with  the  command.  The 
strength  of  the  faitii  of  the  parents  of 
Moses,  appears  (1.)  because  the  com- 
mand  of  Pharaoh  to  destroy  all  tiie 
male  children  was  positive,  but  tliey 
had  so  much  confidence  in  God  as  to 
disregard  it.  (2.)  Because  tiicre  was 
a  strong  improbability  that  their  child 
could  be  saved.  They  themselves 
found  it  impossible  to  conceal  him 
longer  than  three  months,  and  wlien 
it  was  discovered,  there  was  every 
probability  that  the  law  would  be  en- 
forced and  that  the  child  would  be 
put  to  death.  Perhaps  there  was 
reason  also  to  apprehend  that  the  pa- 
rents would  be  punished  for  disre- 
garding the  authority  of  the  king. 
(3.)  Because  they  probably  believed 
tliat  their  child  was  destined  to  some 


be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's 
daughter  ; 


important  work.  They  thus  commit* 
ted  him  to  God  instead  of  complying 
witii  the  command  of  an  earthly 
monarch,  and  against  strong  proba- 
bilities in  the  case,  they  believed  that 
it  was  possible  that  in  some  way  he 
might  be  preserved  alive.  The  re- 
markable result  showed  that  their 
faith  was  not  unfounded. 

24.  By  faith  Moses.  He  had  con- 
fidence in  God  when  he  called  him  to 
be  the  leader  of  his  people.  He  be- 
lieved that  he  was  able  to  deliver 
them,  and  he  so  trusted  in  him  that 
he  was  willing  at  his  command  to 
forego  the  splendid  prospects  which 
opened  before  him  in  Egypt.  If  When 
he  was  come  to  years.  Gr.  '  being 
great ;'  that  is,  when  he  was  grown 
up  to  manhood.  He  was  at  that  time 
forty  years  of  age.  See  Notes  on 
Acts  vii.  2.3.  He  took  this  step, 
therefore,  in  the  full  maturity  of  his 
judgment,  and  when  there  was  no 
danger  of  being  influenced  by  the  ar- 
dent passions  of  youth.  IT  Refused 
to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh^s 
daughter.  When  saved  from  the  ark 
in  which  he  was  placed  on  the  Nile, 
he  was  brouglit  up  for  the  daughter 
of  Pharaoh.  Ex.  ii.  i).  He  seems  to 
have  been  adopted  by  her,  and  trained 
up  as  her  own  son.  WJiat  prospects 
this  opened  before  him  is  not  certainly 
known.  There  is  no  probability  that 
he  would  be  the  heir  to  the  crown  of 
Egypt,  as  is  often  aihrmcd,  for  there 
is  no  proof  that  tlie  crown  descended 
in  the  line  of  daughters  ;  nor  if  it  did, 
is  tiiere  any  probribility  that  it  would 
descend  on  an  adopted  son  of  a  dauo-h- 
ter.  But  his  situation  could  not  but 
be  regarded  as  highly  honourable, 
and  as  attended  with  great  advanta- 
ges. It  gave  him  tlie  opportunity  of 
receiving  the  best  education  which 
the  times  and  country  atibrded — an 
opportunity  of  wliicli  he  seems  to 
have  availed  himself  to  the  utmost 
Notes,  Acts  vii.  22.     It  would  doubt 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


231 


25  Choosing  "  rather  to  suf- 
fer affliction  with  the  people  of 


a  Pf.  84.  10. 


less  be  connected  with  important 
offices  in  the  state.  It  furnished  the 
opportunity  of  a  life  of  ease  and 
pleasure  —  such  as  they  commonly 
delight  in  who  reside  at  courts.  And 
it  doubtless  opened  before  him  the 
prospect  of  wealth — for  there  is  no 
improbability  in  supposing  that  he 
would  be  the  heir  of  the  daughter  of  a 
rich  monarch.  Yet  all  this,  it  is  said, 
he  '  refused.'  There  is  indeed  no  ex- 
press mention  made  of  his  formally 
and  openly  refusing  it,  but  his  leaving 
the  court,  and  identifying  himself 
with  his  oppressed  countrymen,  was 
in  fact  a  refusal  of  these  high  honours, 
and  of  these  brilliant  prospects.  It 
is  not  impossible  that  when  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  his  real  history, 
there  was  some  open  and  decided  re- 
fusal on  his  part,  to  be  regarded  as 
the  son  of  the  daughter  of  this  hea- 
then monarch. 

25.  Choosing  rather  to  suffer  afflic- 
tion with  the  people  of  God.  With 
those  whom  God  had  chosen  to  be  his 
people  —  the  Israelites.  They  were 
then  oppressed  and  down-trodden ; 
but  they  were  the  descendants  of 
Abraham,  and  were  those  whom  God 
had  designed  to  be  his  peculiar  peo- 
ple. Moses  saw  that  if  he  cast  in 
his  lot  with  them,  he  must  expect 
trials.  They  were  poor,  and  crushed, 
and  despised — a  nation  of  slaves.  If 
he  identified  himself  with  them,  his 
condition  would  be  like  tlieirs — one 
of  great  trial ;  if  he  sought  to  elevate 
and  deliver  them,  such  an  undertak- 
ing could  not  but  be  one  of  great 
peril  and  hardship.  Trial  and  dan- 
ger, want  and  care  would  follow  from 
any  course  which  he  could  adopt,  and 
he  knew  that  an  effort  to  rescue  them 
from  bondage  must  be  attended  with 
the  sacrifice  of  all  the  comforts  and 
honour  wliich  he  enjoyed  at  court. 
Yet  he  '  chose''  this.  He  on  the  whole 
preferred  it.  He  left  the  court,  not 
because  he  was  driven  away  ;  not  be- 
cause there  was  nothing  there  to  grat- 
24* 


God,  than   to  enjoy   the   plea- 
sures of  sin  for  a  season  ; 


ify  ambition  or  to  be  a  stimulus  to 
avarice  ;  and  not  on  account  of  harsh 
treatment — for  there  is  no  intimation 
that  he  was  not  treated  with  all  the 
respect  and  honour  due  to  his  station, 
his  talents,  and  his  learning,  but  be- 
cause he  deliberately  preferred  to 
share  the  trials  and  sorrows  of  the 
friends  of  God.  So  every  one  who 
becomes  a  friend  of  God  and  casts 
in  his  lot  with  his  people,  though  he 
may  anticipate  that  it  will  be  attend- 
ed with  persecution,  with  poverty,  and 
with  scorn,  prefers  this  to  all  the  plea- 
sures of  a  life  of  gaiety  and  sin,  and 
to  the  most  brilliant  prospects  of 
wealth  and  fame  which  this  world 
can  offer.  IT  TTian  to  enjoy  the  plea- 
sures of  sin  for  a  season.  We  are 
not  to  suppose  that  Moses,  even  at  the 
court  of  Pharaoh,  was  leading  a  life 
of  vicious  indulgence.  The  idea  is, 
that  sins  were  practised  there  such 
as  tliose  in  which  pleasure  is  sought, 
and  that  if  he  had  remained  tliere  it 
must  have  been  because  he  loved  the 
pleasures  of  a  sinful  court  and  a  sin- 
ful life  rather  tlian  the  favour  of  God. 
We  may  learn  from  this  (1 .)  that  there 
is  a  degree  of  pleasure  in  sin.  It  does 
not  deserve  to  be  called  happiness,  and 
the  apostle  does  not  call  it  so.  It  is 
^pleasure,'  excitement,  hilarit)',  mer- 
riment, amusement.  Happiness  is 
more  solid  and  enduring  than  ^ plea, 
sure ;'  and  solid  happiness  is  not 
found  in  the  ways  of  sin.  But  it  can- 
not be  denied  that  there  is  a  decree 
of  pleasure  which  may  be  fount]  m 
amusement ;  in  the  excitement  of  the 
ball-room ;  in  feasting  and  revelry ; 
in  sensual  enjoyments.  All  which 
wealth  and  splendour ;  music  and 
dancing;  sensual  gratifications,  and 
the  more  refined  pursuits  in  the  cir- 
cles of  fashion,  can  furnish,  may  be 
found  in  a  life  of  irreligion ;  and  if 
disappointment,  and  envy,  and  sick, 
ness,  and  mortified  pride,  and  be- 
reavements do  not  occur,  the  chil 
dren  of  vanity  and  sin  can  find  no 


282 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


26  Esteeming  the  reproach  ' 
of "  Clirist  greater  riches  than 


I  or,  fur. 


a  c.  13. 13. 


incon.sidcrablc  enjoyment  in  these 
things.  Tliey  say  they  do;  and  there 
is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  their 
own  testimony  in  tlie  case.  1'licy 
call  it  a  '  life  of  pleasure ;'  and  it  is 
not  proper  to  withhold  from  it  the 
appellation  wiiich  they  ehoose  to  give 
it.  It  is  not  the  most  pure  or  eleva- 
ted kind  of  enjoyment,  but  it  would 
be  unjust  to  deny  that  there  is  any 
enjoyment  in  sucii  a  course.  (2.)  It 
is  only  '  for  a  season.'  It  will  all  soon 
pass  away.  Had  Moses  lived  at  the 
court  of  Pharaoh  all  his  days,  it  would 
have  been  only  for  a  little  'season.' 
These  pleasures  soon  vanish,  for  (a) 
life  itself  is  short  at  host,  and  if  a 
career  of 'pleasure'  is  pursued  through 
the  whole  of  the  ordinary  period  al- 
lotted to  man,  it  is  very  brief.  (6) 
Those  who  live  for  pleasure  often 
abridge  their  own  lives.  Indulgence 
brings  disease  in  its  train,  and  the 
votaries  of  sensualit}'  usually  die 
young.  The  art  has  never  been  yet 
discovered  of  combining  intemperance 
and  sensuality  with  length  of  days. 
If  a  man  wishes  a  reasonable  pros- 
pect of  long  life,  he  must  be  temper- 
ate and  virtuous.  Indulgence  in  vice 
wears  out  the  nervous  and  muscular 
system,  and  destroys  the  powers  of 
lilb — just  as  a  machine  without  bal- 
ancc-wiieel  or  governor  would  soon 
tear  itself  to  pieces,  (c)  Calamity, 
disappointment,  envy,  and  rivalship 
mar  such  a  life  of  pleasure — and  he 
who  enters  on  it,  from  causes  which 
lie  cannot  control,  finds  it  very  short. 
And,  ((/)  compared  with  eternity,  O 
how  brief  is  the  longest  life  spent  in 
the  ways  of  sin !  Soon  it  must  be 
over — and  then  the  unpardoned  sin- 
ner enters  on  an  immortal  career 
wlicre  pleasure  is  for  ever  unknown  I 
(3.)  In  view  of  all  the  'pleasures' 
which  sin  can  furnisii,  and  in  view  of 
the  most  brilliant  prospects  which 
this  world  can  hold  out,  religion  cna- 


the  treasures  in  Egypt:  for  he 
had  respect  unto  the  recom- 
pense *  of  the  reward. 

b  c.  10.  35. 


bles  man  to  pursue  a  different  path. 
They  who  become  tlio  friends  of  God 
are  wilhng  to  give  up  all  those  fair 
and  glittering  anticipations,  and  to 
submit  to  whatever  trials  may  be  in- 
cident to  a  life  of  self-denying  piety. 
Religion,  with  all  its  privations  and 
sacrifices,  is  preferred,  nor  is  there 
ever  occasion  to  regret  the  choice. 
Moses  deliberately  made  that  choice  : 
— nor  in  all  the  trials  which  succeed- 
ed it — in  all  the  cares  incident  to  his 
great  office  in  conducting  the  child, 
ren  of  Israel  to  the  promised  land — 
in  all  tlieir  ingratitude  and  rebellion 
— is  there  the  least  evidence  that  he 
ever  once  wished  himself  back  again 
that  he  might  enjoy  '  the  pleasures  of 
sin'  in  Egypt. 

26.  Esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ. 
Marg.  '  For ;'  tliat  is,  on  account  of 
Christ.  This  means  either  that  he 
was  willing  to  bear  the  reproaches 
incident  to  his  belief  that  the  Mes- 
siah would  come,  and  that  he  gave 
up  his  fair  prospects  in  Egypt  with 
that  expectation ;  or  that  he  endured 
sucJi  reproaches  as  Ciirist  suffered ; 
or  the  apostle  uses  the  expression  as 
a  sort  of  technical  phrase,  well  under- 
stood in  ills  time,  to  denote  sufferings 
endured  in  the  cause  of  religion. 
Cliristians  at  tliat  time  would  natural- 
1}'  describe  all  sufferings  on  account 
of  religion  as  endured  in  the  cause 
of  Christ;  and  Paul,  therefore,  may 
have  used  this  phrase  to  denote  suffer- 
ings in  the  cause  of  religion — mean- 
ing that  Moses  suffered  what,  when 
the  apostle  wrote,  would  be  called 
'the  reproaches  of  Christ.'  It  is  not 
easy,  or  perhaps  possible,  to  deter 
mine  which  of  these  interpretations 
is  the  correct  one.  The  most  respect- 
able names  may  be  adduced  in  fivour 
of  each,  and  every  reader  must  be 
!  Icfl  to  adopt  liis  own  view  of  that 
I  which  is  correct.  The  original  will 
I  admit  of  either  of  them.     Tlie  gene- 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XL 


283 


27  By  faith  he  forsook  Egypt, 
not  fearing  "  the  wrath  of   the 

a  Ex.  10.28,29;  12.31. 

ral  idea  is,  that  he  would  be  reproach- 
ed for  the  course  which  he  pursued. 
He  could  not  expect  to  leave  the  splen- 
dours of  a  court  and  undertake  what 
he  did,  without  subjecting  himself  to 
trials.  He  would  be  blamed  by  the 
Egyptians  for  his  interference  in  free- 
ing their  '  slaves,'  and  in  bringing  so 
many  calamities  upon  their  country, 
and  he  would  be  exposed  to  ridicule 
for  his  folly  in  leaving  his  brilliant 
prospects  at  court  to  become  identi- 
fied with  an  oppressed  and  despised 
people.  It  is  rare  that  men  are  zeal- 
ous in  doing  good  witliout  exposing 
themselves  both  to  blame  and  to  ridi- 
cule. If  Greater  riches.  Worth  more  ; 
of  greater  value.  Reproach  itself  is 
not  desirable ;  but  reproach,  when  a 
man  receives  it  in  an  effort  to  do  good 
to  others,  is  worth  more  to  him  than 
gold.  I.  Pet.  iv.  13,  14.  The  scars 
which  an  old  soldier  has  received  in 
the  defence  of  his  country  are  more 
valued  by  him  than  his  pension  ;  and 
the  reproach  which  a  good  man  re- 
ceives in  endeavouring  to  save  others 
is  a  subject  of  greater  joy  to  him 
than  would  be  all  the  wealth  which 
could  be  gained  in  a  life  of  sin. 
IT  Tfian  the  treasures  in  Egypt.  It 
is  implied  here,  that  Moses  had  a 
prospect  of  inheriting  large  treasures 
in  Egypt,  and  that  he  voluntarily 
gave  them  up  to  be  the  means  of  de- 
livering his  nation  from  bondage. 
Egypt  abounded  in  wealth ;  and  the 
adopted  son  of  the  daughter  of  the 
king  would  naturally  be  heir  to  a  great 
estate.  IT  For  he  had  respect  urito 
the  recompense  of  the  reward.  The 
'  recompense  of  the  reward'  here  re- 
ferred to  must  mean  tlie  blessedness 
of  heaven — for  he  had  no  earthly  re- 
ward to  look  to.  He  had  no  prospect 
of  pleasure,  or  wealth,  or  honour,  in 
his  undertaking.  If  he  had  sought 
these,  so  far  as  human  sagacity  could 
foresee,  he  would  have  remained  at 
tlie  court  of  Pharaoh.     The  decla  ra- 


king :  for  he  endured,  as  seeing 
him  *  who  is  invisible. 


b  1  Ti.  1.  17. 


tion  here  proves  that  it  is  right  to 
have  respect  to  the  rewards  of  hea- 
ven in  serving  God.  It  does  not  prove 
that  this  was  the  only  or  the  main 
motive  which  induced  Moses  to  aban- 
don his  prospects  at  court ;  nor  does 
it  prove  that  this  should  be  our  main 
or  only  motive  in  leading  a  life  of 
piety.  If  it  were,  our  religion  would 
be  mere  selfishness.  But  it  is  right 
that  we  should  desire  the  rewards 
and  joys  of  heaven,  and  that  we 
should  allow  the  prospect  of  those  re- 
wards and  joys  to  influence  us  as  a 
motive  to  do  our  duty  to  God,  and  to 
sustain  us  in  our  trials.  Comp.  Phil, 
iii.  8— 11.  13.  14. 

27.  By  faith  he  forsook  Egypt. 
Some  have  understood  tliis  of  the  first 
time  in  whicli  Moses  forsook  Egypt, 
when  he  fled  into  Midian,  as  record- 
ed in  E.v.  ii. ;  the  majority  of  exposi- 
tors liave  supposed  that  it  refers  to 
the  time  when  he  left  Egypt  to  con- 
duct the  Israelites  to  the  promised 
land.  That  the  latter  is  the  time  re- 
ferred  to  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
it  is  said  that  he  did  '  not  fear  the 
wrath  of  the  king.'  When  Moses 
first  fled  to  the  land  of  Midian  it  is 
expressly  said  that  he  went  because 
he  did  fear  the  anger  of  Pharaoh  for 
his  liaving  killed  an  Egyptian.  Ex. 
ii.  14,  15.  He  was  at  that  time  in 
fear  of  his  life;  but  when  he  left 
Egypt  at  the  head  of  the  Hebrew 
people,  he  had  no  such  apprehensions. 
God  conducted  him  out  with  '  an  high 
hand,'  and  throughout  all  the  events 
connected  with  that  remarkable  de- 
liverance, he  manifested  no  dread  of 
Pharaoh,  and  had  no  apprehension 
from  what  he  could  do.  He  went 
forth,  indeed,  at  the  head  of  his  peo- 
ple when  all  the  power  of  the  king 
was  excited  to  destroy  them,  but  he 
went  confiding  in  God :  and  this  is 
I  the  faith  referred  to  here.  IT  For  he 
j  endured.  He  persevered,  amidst  all 
1  the   trials   and  difficulties   connected 


384 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4 


23  Through  faith  he  kept 
the  passover, "  and  the  sprink- 

a  Ex.  12.21,&c. 

with  his  leading  forth  tlie  people  from 
bondage.  H  As  seeing  him  who  is  in- 
visible. As  if  he  saw  God.  He  had 
no  more  doubt  that  God  had  called 
him  to  ihis  work,  and  that  he  would 
sustain  him,  than  if  he  saw  him  with 
his  bodily  eyes.  This  is  a  most  ac- 
curate account  of  the  nature  of  faith. 
Comp.  Notes  on  vcr.  I. 

28.  Through  faith  he  kept  the  pass- 
over.  Greek,  '  he  made — TrcKairjKt — the 
passover,'  which  means  more,  it  seems 
to  mc,  than  that  he  merely  kept  or 
celebrated  it.  It  implies  that  he  insti- 
tiiled  this  rite,  and  made  the  arrange- 
ments ibr  its  observance.  Tliere  is 
reference  to  the  special  agency,  and 
the  special  faith  which  he  had  in  its 
institution.  The  faith  in  the  case 
w;is  conjidence  that  this  would  be  the 
means  of  preserving  the  first-born  of 
the  Israelites,  when  the  angel  should 
destroy  the  first-born  of  the  Egyp- 
tians, and  also  that  it  would  be  cel- 
ebrated as  a  perpetual  memorial  of 
this  great  deliverance.  On  the  Pass- 
over, see  Notes  on  Matt.  xxvi.  2. 
^  And  the  sprinkling  of  blood.  The 
blood  of  the  paschal  lamb  on  the  lin- 
tels and  door-posts  of  the  houses.  Ex. 
xii.  22.  II  Lest  he  that  destroyed  the 
Jirst-born  should  touch  them.  The 
first-born  ofthe  Egyptians.  Ex. xii. 23. 
The  apostle  has  tlms  enumerated 
some  of  the  things  wliich  illustrated 
the  faith  of  Moses.  The  strength  of 
his  faith  may  be  seen  by  a  reference 
to  some  of  the  circumstances  which 
characterized  it.  (1.)  It  was  such  con- 
fidence in  God  as  to  lead  him  to  tor- 
sake  the  most  flattering  prospects 
of  worldly  enjoyment.  I  see  no  evi- 
dence, indeed,  that  he  was  the  heir  to 
the  throne  ;  but  he  was  evidently  heir 
to  great  wealth  ;  he  was  encompassed 
witli  all  the  means  of  worldly  plea- 
sure ;  he  had  every  opportunity  for  a 
life  of  literary  and  scientific  pursuits  ; 
he  was  eligible  to  high  and  important 
trusts ;    he  had  a  rank   and    station 


ling  of  blood,  lest  he  that  de- 
stroyed the  first-born  should 
touch  them. 


which  would  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  honoured  and  enviable  on 
earth.  None  of  those  who  are  men- 
tioned before  in  this  chapter  were  re- 
quired to  make  just  such  sacrifices  as 
this.  Neither  Abel,  nor  Noah,  nor 
Enoch,  was  called  to  forsake  so  bril- 
liant worldly  prospects  ;  and  though 
Abraham  was  called  to  a  higher  act 
of  iaitli  when  commanded  to  give  up 
his  beloved  son,  yet  there  were  some 
circumstances  of  trial  in  the  case  of 
Moses  illustrating  the  nature  of  faith 
whicli  did  not  exist  in  the  case  of 
Abraham.  Moses,  in  the  maturity 
of  liic,  and  with  everything  around 
him  that  is  usually  regarded  by  men 
as  objects  of  ambition,  was  ready  to 
forego  it  all.  So  wherever  true  faith 
exists,  there  is  a  readiness  to  abandon 
the  hope  of  gain,  and  brilliant  pros- 
pects of  distinction,  and  fascinating 
pleasures,  in  obedience  to  the  com- 
mand of  God.  (2.)  Moses  entered  on 
an  undertaking  wholly  beyond  the 
power  of  man  to  accomplish,  and 
against  every  human  probability  of 
success.  It  was  no  less  than  that  of 
restoring  to  freedom  two  millions  ol 
down-trodden,  oppressed,  and  dispir 
ited  slaves,  and  conducting  aged 
and  feeble  men,  tender  females,  help- 
less children,  with  numerous  flocks 
and  herds,  across  barren  wastes  to  a 
distant  land.  He  undertook  this 
against  tlie  power  of  probably  tho 
most  mighty  monarch  of  his  time; 
from  the  midst  of  a  warlike  nation ; 
and  when  the  whole  nation  would  be 
kindled  into  rage  at  the  loss  of  so 
many  slaves,  and  when  he  might  ex 
pcct  tliat  all  the  power  of  their  wratli 
would  descend  on  him  and  his  undis 
ciplined  and  feeble  hosts.  He  did  thi» 
when  he  had  no  wealth  that  he  could 
employ  to  furnish  provisions  or  tho 
means  of  defence ;  no  armies  at  his 
command  to  encircle  his  jMiople  on 
their  march ;  and  even  lio  influenca 
among  the  peoplo  himself,  and  with 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


285 


29  By   faith    they    passed  ° 
through  the  E-ed  Sea  as  by  dry 


a  Ex.  14.  a-s.-sg. 


every  probability  that  they  would  dis- 
regard him.  Comp.  Ex.  iii.  11  ;  iv.  1. 
He  did  this  when  the  whole  Hebrew 
people  were  to  be  aroused  to  willing- 
ness to  enter  on  the  great  undertak- 
ing ;  when  there  was  every  probabi- 
lit}'  that  they  would  meet  with  formi- 
dable enemies  in  the  way,  and  when 
tlicre  was  nothing  human  whatever 
on  which  the  mind  could  fix  as  a  basis 
of  caleulation  of  success.  If  tliere 
ever  was  any  undertaking  commenced 
opposed  to  every  human  probability 
of  success,  it  was  that  of  delivering 
the  Hebrew  people  and  conducting 
them  to  the  promised  land.  To  human 
view  it  was  quite  as  hopeless  and  im- 
practicable as  it  would  be  now  for  a 
stranger  from  Africa,  claiming  to  be 
a  native  prince  there,  and  to  have  a 
commission  from  God,  to  liberate  the 
two  and  a  half  millions  of  slaves  in 
this  country,  and  conduct  them  to  the 
land  of  their  fathers.  In  all  the  diffi- 
culties and  discouragements  of  the 
undertaking  of  Moses,  therefore,  his 
only  hope  of  success  must  have  arisen 
from  his  confidence  in  God.  (3.)  It 
was  an  undertaking  where  there  were 
many  certain  trials  before  him.  The 
people  whom  he  sought  to  deliver 
were  poor  and  oppressed.  An  attempt 
to  rescue  them  would  bring  down  the 
wrath  of  the  mighty  monarch  under 
whom  they  were.  They  were  a  peo- 
ple unaccustomed  to  self-government, 
and  as  the  result  proved,  prone  to  in- 
gratitude and  rebeUion.  The  journey 
before  him  lay  through  a  dreary 
■waste,  where  there  was  every  pros- 
pect that  there  would  be  a  want  of 
food  and  water,  and  where  he  might 
expect  to  meet  with  formidable  ene- 
mies. In  all  these  things  his  only 
hope  must  have  been  in  God.  It  was 
he  only  who  could  deliver  them  from 
the  grasp  of  the  tyrant;  who  could 
conduct  them  through  the  wilderness  ; 
who  could  provide  for  their  wants  in 
the  desert ;  and  who  could  defend  a 
vast  multitude  of  women  and  children 


land:  which  the  Egyptians  as- 
saying to  do,  were  drowned. 


from  the  enemies  which  they  would 
be  likely  to  encounter.  (4.)  There 
was  nothing  in  this  to  gratify  ambi. 
tion,  or  to  promise  an  earthly  re- 
ward. All  these  prospects  he  gave 
up  when  he  left  the  court  of  Pharaoh. 
To  be  the  leader  of  a  company  of 
emancipated  slaves  through  a  path- 
less  desert  to  a  distant  land,  had  no- 
thing in  itself  that  could  gratify  the 
ambition  of  one  who  had  been  bred 
at  the  most  magnificent  court  on 
earth,  and  who  had  enjoyed  every  ad- 
vantage which  the  age  afforded  to  qual- 
ify him  to  fill  any  exalted  ofliice.  The 
result  showed  that  Moses  never  de- 
signed to  be  himself  the  king  of  the 
people  whom  he  led  forth,  and  that  he 
had  no  intention  of  aggrandizing  his 
own  family  in  the  case. 

29.  By  faith  they  passed  through 
the  Red  Sea,  as  hy  dry  land.  Ex.  xiv. 
22.  2.9.  That  is,  it  was  only  by  con- 
fidence in  God  tliat  they  were  able  to 
do  this.  It  was  not  by  power  which 
they  had  to  remove  the  waters  and  to 
make  a  passage  for  themselves  ;  and 
it  was  not  by  the  operation  of  any 
natural  causes.  It  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  all  who  passed  through 
the  Red  Sea  had  saving  faith.  The 
assertion  of  the  apostle  is,  that  the 
passage  was  made  in  virtue  of  strong 
confidence  in  God,  and  that  if  it  had 
not  been  for  this  confidence  the  pas- 
sage could  not  have  been  made  at  all. 
Of  this  no  one  can  entertain  a  doubt 
who  reads  the  history  of  that  remark- 
able transaction.  IT  Which  the  Egyp- 
tians assaying  to  do,  were  drowned, 
Ex.  xiv,  27,  28.  Evidently  referred 
to  here  as  showing  the  effects  of  not 
having  faith  in  God,  and  of  what 
must  inevitably  have  befallen  the  Is- 
raelites if  they  had  had  no  faith.  The 
destruction  of  the  Egyptians  by  the 
return  of  the  waters  in  accordance 
with  natural  laws,  showed  that  the 
Israelites  would  have  been  destroyed 
in  the  passage,  if  a  divine  energy 
had  not   been   imployed   to  prevent 


386 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4 


30  By  faith  the  walls  of  Je 
richo  "  fell   down,    after    they 


31  By  Aiith  the   harlot  Ra- 
hab  *  perished   not  with    them 


were   compassed    about    seven  i  that  '  believed  not,  when   she 


days. 

a  Jo».  6.  12-20.         b  Jos.  6.  23  ;  Ja.  2.  25. 
1  or,  were  disobedient.         c  Jos.  2.  4.  &c. 

it.  On  the  passage  through  the  Red 
Sea,  see  Robinson's  liiblical  Re- 
searches, vol.  i.  pp.  81 — 86. 

30.  By  faith  the  walls  of  Jericho 
fell  down,'&.c.  Josli.vi.  12— -20.  That 
is,  it  was  not  by  any  natural  causes, 
or  by  any  means  that  were  in  them- 
selves adapted  to  secure  siicli  a  result. 
It  was  not  because  tiicy  icll  of  them- 
selves; nor  because  they  were  assailed 
by  the  hosts  of  the  Israelites;  nor 
was  it  because  there  was  any  natural 
tendency  in  the  blowing  of  horns  to 
cause  them  to  fall.  None  of  these 
things  were  true ;  and  it  was  only  by 
confidence  in  God  that  means  so  little 
adapted  to  such  a  purpose  could  have 
been  employed  at  all ;  and  it  was  only 
by  continued  faith  in  him  thai  tliey 
could  have  been  persevered  in  day  by 
day,  when  no  impression  whatever 
was  made.  The  strength  of  the  faith 
evinced  on  tliis  occasion  appears  from 
such  circumstances  as  these: — Ihat 
there  was  no  natural  tendency  in  the 
means  used  to  produce  the  effect; 
that  there  was  great  apparent  impro- 
bability that  the  effect  would  follow  ; 
that  they  might  be  exposed  to  nuieh 
ridicule  from  those  within  the  city 
for  attempting  to  demolish  their 
strong  walls  in  this  manner,  and  from 
the  fact  tliat  the  city  was  encircled 
day  after  day  without  producing  any 
result.  This  may  teach  us  the  pru- 
prieiy  and  necessity  of  faith  in  simi- 
lar circumstances.  Ministers  of  the 
gospel  often  preach  where  there  seems 
to  be  as  little  prospect  of  beating 
down  the  opposition  in  the  human 
heart  by  the  message  which  they  de- 
Hver,  as  there  was  of  demolisliing  tlie 
walls  of  Jericho  by  the  blowing  of 
ram's  horns.  They  blow  the  gospel 
trumpet  from  week  to  week  and 
month  to  month,  and  there  seems  to 
be  no  tendency  in  the  strong  citadel 


had  received  the   spies 
peace. 


with 


of  the  heart  to  yield.  Perhaps  tlio 
only  apparent  result  is  to  excite  ridi- 
cule and  scorn.  Yet  let  them  not 
despair.  Let  them  blow  on.  Let 
them  still  lift  up  their  voice  with  faith 
in  God,  and  in  due  time  the  walls  of 
tiie  citadel  will  totter  and  fall.  God 
has  power  over  the  human  heart  as  he 
had  over  Jericho  ;  and  in  our  darkest 
day  of  discouragement  let  us  remcm- 
bcr  that  we  are  never  in  circumstan- 
ces indicating  less  probability  of  suc- 
cess from  any  api)areiit  tendency  in 
the  means  used  to  accomplish  the  re- 
sult, than  tliose  were  who  encompass- 
ed this  heathen  city.  With  similar 
confidence  in  God  we  may  hope  for 
similar  success. 

31.  By  faith  the  harlot  Rahab.  Sho 
resided  in  Jericho.  Josh.  ii.  1.  When 
Joshua  crossed  tlie  Jordan,  he  sent 
two  men  as  spies  to  lier  house,  and 
she  saved  them  by  concealment  from 
the  enemies  that  would  have  destroy- 
ed their  lives.  For  this  act  of  hospi- 
tality  and  kindness,  they  assured  lier 
of  safety  when  the  city  should  be  de- 
stroyed, and  directed  her  to  give  an 
indication  of  her  place  of  abode  to  the 
invading  Israelites,  that  her  house 
might  be  spared.  Josh  ii.  18,  19.  In 
the  destruction  of  the  city,  she  was 
accordingly  preserved.  Josh.  vi.  The 
apostle  seems  to  have  selected  this 
ease  as  illustrating  the  nature  of 
faitii,  i>artly  because  it  occurred  at 
Jericho,  of  which  he  had  just  made 
mention,  and  partly  to  sliow  that 
strong  faith  had  been  exercised  not 
oidy  by  the  patriarchs,  and  by  those 
who  were  confessed  to  be  great  and 
'  good,  but  by  those  in  humble  life, 
I  iind  whose  earlier  conduct  had  been 
far  from  tlie  ways  of  virtue.  Calvin, 
Much  perplexity  has  been  felt  in 
reference  to  this  case,  and  many  at- 
tempts have  been  made  to  remove  the 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


287 


difficulty.      The  main  difficulty  has 
been  that  a  woman  of  this  character 
should   be  enumerated  among  those 
who  were  eminent  ibr  piety,  and  many 
expositors  have  endeavoured  to  show 
that  the  word  rendered  harlot  docs  not 
necessarily  denote  a  woman  of  aban- 
doned character,  but  may  be  used  to 
denote  a  hostess.     This  definition  is 
given  by  Schleusner,  who   says  that 
the  word  may  mean  one  who  prepares 
and    sells    food,    and    who    receives 
strangers  to  entertain  them.     Others 
have  supposed  that  tlie  word  means 
an  idolatress,  because  those  devoted 
to  idolatry  were  frequently  of  aban- 
doned character.     But  there  are  no 
clear  instances  in  which  the  Greek 
word  and  the  corresponding  Hebrew 
word — njl? — is  used    in    this  sense. 
The  usual  and  the  fair  meaning  of 
the  word  is  that  which  is  given  in 
our  translation,  and  there  is  no  good 
reason  wliy  that  signification  should 
not  be  retained  here.     It  is  not  im- 
plied  by  the  use  of  the  word  here, 
however,  that  Rahab  was  an  harlot 
at  the  time  to  which  the  apostle  re- 
fers ;   but  the   meaning   is,  that  this 
had  been  her  character,  so  that  it  was 
proper   to  designate  her  by  this  ap- 
pellation.     In  regard  to   this   case, 
therefore,  and  in  explanation  of  the 
difficulties  which  have  been  felt  in  re- 
ference to  it,  we  may  remark,  (1.)  that 
the    obvious    meaning    of  this   word 
here  and  of  the  corresponding  place 
in  Josh.  ii.  vi.  is,  that  she  had  been  a 
woman  of  abandoned  character,  and 
that  she  was  known  as  such.     That 
she  might  have  been  also  a  hostess, 
or  one  who  kept  a  house  of  entertain- 
ment for  strangers,  is   at  the  same 
time  by  no  means  improbable,  since 
it  not  unfrequently  happened  in  an- 
cient as  well  as  modern  times,  that 
females  of  this  character  kept  such 
houses.     It  might  have  been  the  fact 
that  her  house  was  known  merely  as 
a  house  of  entertainment  that  led  the 
spies  who  went  to  Jericlio  to  seek  a 
lodging  there.     It  would  be  natural 
that  strangers  coming  into  a    place 
should  act  in  this  respect  as  all  other 


travellers  did,  and  should  apply  for 
entertainment  at  what  was  know'n  as 
a  public  house.     (2.)  There  is  no  im- 
probability   in    supposing    that    her 
course  of  life  had  been  changed  either 
before  their  arrival,  or  in  consequence 
of  it.     Tiiey  were  doubtless  wise  and 
holy  men.     Men  would  not  be  select- 
ed for  an  enterprise  like  this,  in  whom 
the  leader  of4,he  Hebrew  army  could 
not  put  entire  confidence.     It  is  not 
unfair  then  to  suppose  that  they  were 
men  of  eminent  piety  as  well  as  sa- 
gacity. Nor  is  there  any  improbability 
in  supposing  that  they  would  acquaint 
this  fiimale  with  the  history  of  their 
people,  with  their  remarkable  deliver- 
ance from  Egypt,  and  with  the  design 
for  which  they  were  about  to  invade 
the  land  of  Canaan.  There  is  evidence 
that  some  such  representations  made 
a  deep  impression  on  her  mind,  and  led 
to  a  change  in  her  views  and  feelings, 
for  she  not  only  received  them  with 
the  usual  proofs  of   hospitality,  but 
jeoparded    her  own.  life  in  their  de- 
fence, when  she    might  easily  have 
betrayed    them.      This    fact  showed 
that  she  had  a  firm  belief  tliat  they 
were  what  they  professed  to  be — the 
people  of  God,  and  that  she  was  wil- 
ling to   identify   her    interests   with 
theirs.      (3.)  This    case  —  supposing 
that  she  had  been  a  woman  of  bad 
character  but  now  was  trulj'  convert- 
ed—  does   not   stand    alone.      Other 
females  of  a  similar  character  have 
been  converted,  and  have  subsequent- 
ly led  lives  of  piety  ;  and  thougli  the 
number  is  not    comparatively  great, 
yet  the  truth  of  God  has  shown  its 
power   in  renewing  and  sanctifying 
some  at  least  of  this,  the  most  aban- 
doned  and  degraded  class  of  human 
beings.      "  Publicans    and    harlots" 
said  the  Saviour,  "  go  into  the  king- 
dom of  God."    Matt.  xxi.  31.    Rahab 
seems  to  have  been  one  of  them  ;  and 
her  ease   shows  tliat  such  instances 
of  depravity  are  not  hopeless.     This 
record,  therefore,  is  one  of  encourage- 
ment for  the  most  abandoned  sinners; 
and  one  too  which  shows  tliat  stran- 
gers, even  in  a  public  house,  may  do 
good  to  those  who  have  wandered  far 


288 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


32  And  what  shall  I  more 
Bay?  for  the  time  would  fail 
me  to  tell  of"  Gedeon,  and  of 
Barak,  *  and  of  Samson,  '  and 

aJu.  c.  6&7.  6  Ju.  4.  C,  &c. 

from  God  and  virtue,  and  that  we 
eiiould  never  despair  of  saving  the 
most  abandoned  of  our  race.  (4.) 
'J'here  is  no  need  of  supposing  that  the 
apostle  in  commending  this  woman 
approved  of  all  that  slic  did.  That 
Bhe  was  not  perfect  is  true.  That 
she  did  some  things  which  cannot  be 
vindicated  is  true  also — and  vi'iio  does 
not  ?  But  admitting  all  that  may  be 
said  about  any  imperfection  in  her 
character,  (comp.  Josh.  ii.  4),  it  was 
Btill  true  that  slie  had  strong  faith — 
and  that  is  all  (/lat  the  apostle  com- 
mends. We  an  under  no  more  ne- 
cessity of  vindicating  all  that  she  did, 
than  we  are  all  that  David  or  Feter 
did — or  all  that  is  now  done  by  those 
who  have  the  highest  claims  to  virtue. 
(5.)  She  had  strong  faith.  It  was  only 
a  strong  belief  that  Jehovah  was  the 
true  God,  and  that  tlie  children  of  Is- 
rael were  his  people,  which  would  have 
led  her  to  screen  these  strangers  at  the 
peril  of  her  own  life ;  and  when  the 
city  was  encompassed,  and  the  walls 
fell,  and  the  tumult  of  battle  raged, 
she  showed  her  steady  confidence  in 
their  fidelity,  and  in  God,  by  using 
the  simple  means  on  which  she  was 
told  the  safety  of  herself  and  her  fa- 
mily depended.  Josh.  vi.  22,  23.  IT 
With  them  that  believed  not.  The  in- 
liabitants  of  the  idolatrous  city  of 
Jericho.  The  margin  is,  '  were  diso- 
bedient.^ The  more  correct  rendering, 
however,  is,  as  in  the  text,  believed 
not.  They  evinced  no  such  faith  as 
Rahab  had,  and  they  were  therefore 
destroyed.  "IT  Received  the  spies  with 
pence.  With  friendliness  and  kind- 
ness.    Josh  ii.  1,  seq. 

32.  And  what  shall  I  more  say  ? 
'There  are  numerous  other  instances 
showing  the  strength  of  faith  which 
there  is  not  time  to  mention.'  IT  For 
the  lime  would  fail  me  to  tell.  To  re- 
count all  that  tiiey  did ;  all  the  illus- 


of  Jephthae  ;  ''  of  David  '  also, 
and  Samuel,  ■''  and  of  the  pro- 
phets. 


c  Ju.  c.  1.5  &  16. 
e  I  Sa.  17.  45,  Sec. 


d  Ju.  U.  32,  &c. 
/  1  Sa.  7.  9,  &.C. 


trations  of  the  strength  and  power  of 
faith  evinced  in  their  lives.  ^  Of 
Gedeon.  The  history  of  Gideon  is 
detailed  at  length  in  Judges  vi.  vii., 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  his 
wars  he  was  sustained  and  animated 
by  strong  confidence  in  God.  If  And 
of  Barak.  Judges  iv.  Barak,  at  the 
command  of  Deborah  the  prophetess, 
who  summoned  him  to  war  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  encountered  and 
overthrew  the  hosts  of  Sisera.  His 
yielding  to  her  summons,  and  his 
valour  in  battle  against  the  enemies 
of  the  Lord,  showed  that  he  was 
animated  by  faith.  IT  And  of  Sam- 
son. See  the  history  of  Samson  in 
Judges  xiv — xvi.  It  is  not  by  any 
means  necessary  to  suppose  that  in 
making  mention  of  Samson,  the 
apostle  approved  of  all  that  he 
did.  All  that  he  commends  is  his 
faith,  and  though  lie  was  a  very 
imperfect  man,  and  there  were  many 
things  in  his  lite  which  neither 
sound  morality  nor  religion  can  ap- 
prove, yet  it  was  still  true  that  he 
evinced  on  some  occasions  remarka- 
ble confidence  in' God,  by  relying  on 
the  strength  which  he  gave  him.  This 
was  particularly  true  in  the  instance 
where  he  made  a  great  slaughter  of 
the  enemies  of  the  Lord  and  of  his 
country.  See  Judges  xv.  14 ;  xvi.  28. 
IT  And  of  Jephthae.  The  story  of  Jeph- 
tha  is  recorded  in  Judges  xi.  Tke 
mention  of  his  name  among  those 
wlio  were  distinguished  for  faith,  has 
given  occasion  to  much  perplexity 
among  expositors.  Tliat  a  man  of 
so  harsh  and  severe  a  character,  a 
man  who  sacrificed  his  own 
ter  in  consequence  of  a 
should  be  numbered  among  those  who 
were  eminent  for  piety  as  if  he  were 
one  distiiiguiijhed  for  piety  also,  has 
seemed  to  be  wholly  inconsistent  and 
improper.     The  same  remark,  how- 


da  ugh- 
rash  vow, 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


289 


33  Who  through  faith  sub- 
ever,  may  be  made  respecting-  Jeph- 
tha  which  has  been  made  of  Samson 
and  others.  The  apostle  does  not  com- 
mend all  which  they  did.  He  does 
not  deny  that  they  were  very  imper- 
fect men,  nor  that  they  did  many 
things  which  cannot  be  approved  or 
vindicated.  He  commends  only  one 
thing — their  faith  ;  and  in  these  in- 
stances jie  particularly  alludes  doubt- 
less to  their  remarkable  valour  and 
success  in  delivering  their  country 
from  their  foes  and  from  the  foes  of 
God.  In  this,  it  is  implied,  that  they 
regarded  themselves  as  called  to  this 
work  by  the  Lord,  and  as  engaged  in 
his  service  ;  and  that  they  went  forth 
to  battle  depending  on  his  protection 
and  nerved  by  confidence  in  hiin  as 
the  God  of  their  country.  Their 
views  of  God  himself  might  be  very 
erroneous ;  their  notions  of  religion 
— as  was  the  case  with  Jephtha — very 
imperfect  and  obscure  ;  many  things 
in  their  lives  might  be  wholly  incon- 
sistent with  what  toe  should  now  re- 
gard as  demanded  by  religion,  and 
still  it  might  be  true  that  in  their  ef- 
forts to  deliver  their  country,  they  re- 
lied on  the  aid  of  God,  and  were  ani- 
mated to  put  forth  extraordinary  ef- 
forts, and  were  favoured  with  extra- 
ordinary success  from  their  confidence 
in  him.  In  the  case  of  Jephtha,  all 
that  it  is  necessary  to  suppose  in  order 
to  see  the  force  of  the  illustration  of 
the  apostle  is,  that  he  had  strong  con- 
fidence in  God — the  God  of  his  na- 
tion, and  that,  under  the  influence  of 
this,  he  made  extraordinary  eflSbrts  in 
repelling  his  foes.  And  this  is  not 
unnatural,  or  improbable,  even  on  the 
supposition  that  he  was  not  a  pious 
man.  How  many  a  Greek,  and  Ro- 
man, and  Goth,  and  Mohammedan 
has  been  animated  to  extraordinary 
courage  in  battle,  by  confidence  in 
the  gods  which  they  worshipped ! 
That  Jephtha  had  this,  no  one  can 
doubt.  See  Judges  xi.  29 — 39.  Even 
in  the  great  and  improper  sacrifice 
of  his  only  daughter,  which  the  obvi- 
ous interpretation  of  the  record  re- 
25 


dued  kingdoms,  wrought  right- 


specting  him  in  Judges  xi.  39,  leads 
us  to  suppose  he  made,  he  did  it  as 
an  offering  to  the  Lord,  and  under 
these  mistaken  views  of  duty,  ha 
showed  by  the  greatest  sacrifice  which 
a  man  could  make — that  of  an  only 
child — that  he  was  disposed  to  do  what 
,he  believed  was  required  by  religion. 
A  full  examination  of  the  case  of 
Jephtha,  and  of  the  question  whether 
he  really  sacrificed  his  daughter,  may 
be  found  in  Warburton's  Divine  Le- 
gation of  Moses,  Book  ix.  Notes ;  in 
Bush's  Notes  on  Judges  xi. ;  and  in 
the  Biblical  Repository  for  January 
1843.  It  is  not  necessary  to  go  into 
the  much  litigated  inquiry  here  whe- 
ther he  really  put  his  daughter  to 
death,  for  whether  he  did  or  not,  it  is 
equally  true  that  he  evinced  strong  con- 
fidence in  God.  If  he  did  do  it,  in  obe- 
dience as  he  supposed  to  duty  and  to 
the  divine  command,  no  higher  in- 
stance of  faith  in  God  as  having  a 
right  to  dispose  of  all  that  he  had, 
could  be  furnished  ;  if  he  did  not,  his 
eminent  valour  and  success  in  bat- 
tie  show  that  he  relied  for  strength 
and  victory  on  the  arm  of  Jehovah. 
The  single  reason  why  the  piety  of 
Jephtha  has  ever  been  called  in  ques- 
tion, has  been  the  fact  that  he  sacri- 
ficed his  own  daughter.  If  he  did 
not  do  that,  no  one  will  doubt  his 
claims  to  an  honoured  rank  among 
those  who  have  evinced  faith  in  God 
^  Of  David  also.  Commended  justly 
as  an  eminent  example  of  a  man  who 
had  faitji  in  God,  though  it  cannot  be 
supposed  that  all  that  he  did  was  ap- 
proved. IT  And  Samuel.  In  early 
youth  distinguished  for  his  piety,  and 
manifesting  it  through  his  life.  See 
I.  Sam.  If  And  of  t?te  prophets.  They 
were  men  who  had  strong  confidence 
in  the  truth  of  what  God  directed 
them  to  foretell,  and  who  were  ever 
ready,  depending  on  him,  to  make 
known  the  most  unwelcome  truths  to 
their  fellow-men,  even  at  the  peril  of 
their  lives. 

33.  Whothroughfaith  subdued  king- 
doms.    That  is,  those  specified  in  the 


290 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


eousncss,  obtained  promises,  " 
stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  ' 

34  Quenched  the  violence 
of  fire, '  escaped  "^  the  edge  of 
the  swordjOutof  weakness  were 


a  Ga.  3.  16. 

c  Da.  3.  25. 


6  Da.  6.  22. 


previous  verses,  and  others  like  them. 
The  meaning  is,  tliat  some  of  them 
subdued  kingdoms,  others  obtained 
promises,  &.e.  Thus,  Joshua  subdued 
the  nations  of  Canaan ;  Gideon  the 
Midianitcs ;  Jephtha  the  Ammonites  ; 
David  the  Philistines,  Amalekites,  Je- 
bu.sitcs,  Edomites,  &c.  ^  Wrought 
righteousness.  Carried  the  laws  of 
justiee  into  exceution,  partieularly  on 
guilty  nations.  Tiicy  cxceuted  the 
great  purposes  of  God  in  punishing 
the  wicked,  and  in  cutting  off  his  foes. 
IT  Obtained  promises.  Or  obtained 
promised  blessings  {Bloomjield,  Stu- 
art) ;  that  is,  they  obtained,  as  a  re- 
sult of  their  faith,  promises  of  bless- 
ings on  their  posterity  in  future  times. 
If  Stopped  the  7nouths  of  lions.  As 
Samson,  Judges  xiv.  16;  David,  I. 
Sam.  xvii.  34,  seq. ;  and  particularly 
Daniel.  Dan.  vi.  7,  seq.  To  be  able 
to  subdue  and  render  harmless  the 
king  of  the  forest — the  animal  most 
dreaded  in  early  times — was  regarded 
as  an  eminent  achievement. 

34.  Quenched  the  violence  of  fire. 
As  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abedne- 
go  did,  Dan.  iii.  15 — 26.  ^  Escaped 
the  edge  of  the  sword.  As  Elijah  did 
when  he  fled  from  Ahab,  I.  Kings 
xi.x.  3 ;  as  Elijali  did  wlien  he  was 
delivered  from  the  king  of  Syria,  II. 
Kings  vi.  16;  and  as  David  did  when 
he  fled  Irom  Saul.  ^  Out  of  lorak. 
nesa  xoere  made  strong.  Enabled  to 
perform  exploits  beyond  their  natural 
strengtli,  or  raised  up  from  a  state  of 
bodily  infirmity  and  invigorated  lor 
conflict.  Such  a  case  as  liiat  of  Sam- 
son may  be  referred  to,  Judges  xv. 
15  ;  xvi.  26 — 30  ;  or  as  that  of  Ileze- 
kiah,  II.  Kings  xx.,  who  was  restored 
from  dangerous  sickness  by  the  im- 
mediate interposition'  of  God.  Sec 
Notes  on  Isa.  xxxviii.     If  Waxed  va- 


made  strong,  waxed  valiant  in 
fight,  turned  to  flight  the  armies 
of  the  aliens. 

35  Women  '  received    their 


dead  raised  to  life 


again 


d  1  K.  19.  3 ;  2  K.  6.  16. 
c  1  K.  17.  '■a ;  2  K.  4.  35. 36. 


and 


liant  in  Jight.  Became  valiant.  Like 
Joshua,  Barak,  David,  &c.  Tlie  books 
of  Joshua,  Judges,  Samuel,  and  Kings 
supply  instances  of  this  in  abundance. 
f  Turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the 
aliens.  The  foreigners  —  as  the  in- 
vading  Philistines,  Ammonites,  Mo- 
abites,  Assyrians,  &c. 

35.  Women  received  their  dead  rais- 
ed to  life  again.  As  in  the  case  of  the 
woman  of  Zarephath,  whose  child 
was  restored  to  life  by  Elijah,  I.  Kings 
xvii.  19 — 22;  and  of  the  son  of  tho 
Sliunamite  woman,  whose  child  was 
restored  to  life  by  Elisha.  II.  Kings 
iv.  18 — 37.  If  And  others  were  tor- 
tured. The  word  which  is  here  used 
— rii//77ai'i^u( — to  tympanize,  refers  to  a 
form  of  severe  torture  which  was 
sometimes  practised.  It  is  derived 
from  TVjjinavov — tympanum — a  drum, 
tabret,  timbrel ;  and  the  instrument 
was  probably  so  culled  from  resem- 
bling  the  drum  or  the  timbrel.  This 
instrument  consisted  in  the  East  of  a 
thin  wooden  rim  covered  over  with 
skin,  as  a  tambourine  is  with  us.  See 
it  described  in  the  Notes  on  Isa.  v.  12. 
The  engine  of  torture  here  referred 
to  probably  resembled  the  drum  in 
form,  on  which  the  body  of  a  crimi- 
nal was  bent  so  as  to  give  greater  se- 
verity to  tlie  wounds  which  were  in- 
flicted by  scourging,  l^he  lash  would 
cut  deeper  when  the  body  was  so  ex- 
tended, and  the  open  gashes  exposed 
to  the  air  would  increase  the  torture. 
Sec  II.  Mac.  vi.  VJ—2D.  The  pun- 
ishmint  iierc  referred  to  seems  to  iiave 
consisted  of  two  things — the  stretcli- 
ing  upon  the  instruuK^nt,  and  the 
scourging.  See  Robinson's  Lex.,  and 
Stuart  in  loc.  Blooinfield,  however, 
supposes  tliat  the  mode  of  the  torture 
can  be  best  learned  from  the  original 
meaning  of  the  word  Tfimavov—tijm- 


A..  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


291' 


others  were  tortured,  not  accept- 
ing ."  deliverance  ;  that  they 
might  obtain  a  better  resurrec- 
tion : 

36  And  others  had  trial  of 


a  Ac.  4. 19. 


6  Ge.  39.  20. 


panum  —  as  meaning'  (1)  a  beating-- 
stick,  and  (2)  a  beating-post,  which 
was  in  the  form  of  a  T,  thus  suggest- 
ing the  posture  of  the  sufferer.    This 
beating,  says  he,  was  sometimes  ad- 
ministered with  sticks  or  rods ;  and 
sometimes  with  leather  tliongs  inclos- 
ing pieces  of  lead.     The  former  ac- 
coimt,   however,  better    agrees   with 
the  usual  meaning  of  the  word.  If  Not 
accepting  deliverance.     When  it  was 
offered   them ;  that  is,  on   condition 
that  they  would  renounce  their  opin- 
ions, or  do  what  was  required  of  them. 
This  is  the  very  nature  of  the  spirit 
of  martyrdom.     IT  That    they   might 
obtain  a  better  resurrection.     That  is, 
when  they  were  subjected  to  this  kind 
of  torture  they  were  looked  upon  as 
certainly  dead.    To  hav<;  accepted  de- 
liverance then,  would  have  been  a  kind 
of  restoration  to  life,  or  a  species  of  re- 
surrection.    But  they  refused  this,  and 
looked  forward  to  a  more  honourable 
and  glorious  restoration  to  life ;  a  re- 
surrection, therefore,  which  would  be 
better  than  this.     It  would  be   in  it- 
self more  noble  and  honourable,  and 
would   be  permanent,   and  therefore 
better.    No  particular  instance  of  this 
kind  is  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment; but  amidst  the   multitude  of 
cases  of  persecution  to   which  good 
men  were  subjected,  there  is  no  im- 
probability in  supposing  that  this  may 
liave  occurred.     The  case  of  Eleazer, 
recorded  in  II.  Tvlac.  vi.,  so  strongly 
resembles  what  the  apostle  says  liere, 
that  it  is  very  possible  he  may  have 
had  it  in  his  eye.     The  passage  be- 
fore us  proves  tliat  the  doctrine  of  the 
resurrection  was  understood  and  be- 
lieved before  the  coming  of  the  Saviour, 
and  tliat  it  was  one  of  the  doctrines 
which  sustained  and  animated  those 
who  were  called  to  suffer  on  account 
of  their  religion.     In  the  prospect  of 


cruel  mockings  and  scourglngs, 
yea,  moreover,  of  bonds  *  and 
imprisonment. ' 

37  They  were  stoned,  "^  they 
were  sawn  asunder,  were  tempt- 

c  Je.  20.  2.  d  Ac.  7.  59. 


death  uiyler  the  infliction  of  torture 
on  account  of  religion,  or  under  the 
pain  produced  by  disease,  nothing 
will  better  enable  us  to  bear  up  under 
the  suffering  than  the  expectation  that 
tlic  body  will  be  restored  to  immortal 
vigour,  and  raised  to  a  mode  of  life 
where  it  will  be  no  longer  suscepti- 
ble of  pain.  To  be  raised  up  to  that 
life  is  a  '  better  resurrection'  than  to 
be  saved  from  death  when  persecuted, 
or  to  be  raised  up  from  a  bed  of  pain. 

36.  And  others  had  trial  of  cruel 
mockings.  Referring  to  the  scorn  and 
derision  which  the  ancient  victims  of 
persecution  experienced.  This  ba3 
been  oflen  experienced  by  martyrs, 
and  doubtless  it  was  the  case  with 
those  who  suffered  on  account  of  their 
religion  before  the  advent  of  the  Sa- 
viour as  well  as  afterwards.  Some 
instances  of  this  kind  are  mentioned 
in  the  Old  Testament  (II  King.  ii. 
23 ;  I.  Kings  xxii.  24) ;  and  it  was 
frequent  in  the  time  of  the  Maccabees. 
IT  And  scourging.  Whipping.  This 
was  a  common  mode  of  punishment, 
and  was  usually  inflicted  before  a 
martyr  was  put  to  death.  See  Notes 
on  Matt.  X.  17;  xxvii.  26.  For  in- 
stances of  this,  see  Jer.  xx.  2  ;  II.  Mac. 
vii.  1 ;  V.  17.  If  Of  bonds.  Chains. 
Gen.  xxxix.  20.  IT  And  imprisonment. 
See  I.  Kings  xxii.  27  ;  Jer.  xx.  2. 

37.  They  were  stoned.  A  common 
method  of  punishment  among  the 
Jews,  See  Notes  on  Matt.  xxi.  35.  44. 
Thus  Zechariah,  the  son  of  Jehoiada 
the  priest,  was  stoned.  See  II.  Chron. 
xxiv.  21  ;  comp.  I.  Kings  xxi.  1 — 14. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  this  was 
often  resorted  to  in  times  of  popular 
tumult,  as  in  the  case  of  Stephen, 
Acts  vii.  59  ;  comp.  John  x.  31  ;  Acta 
xiv.  5.  In  the  time  of  the  terrible 
persecutions  under  Antioclms  Epiph- 
anes,  and  under  Manasseh,  such  in 


S9d 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  04. 


ed,  were  slain  with  the  sword  : 
they  wandered  about  in  sheep- 

etanccs  also  probably  occurred.  ^  They 
were  sawn  asunder.     It  is  coininonly 
supposed  that  Isaiah  was  put  to  deatli 
in  this  manner.     For  the  evidence  of 
this,  sec  Introduction  to  Isaiah,  §  *J. 
It  is  known  that  this  mode  of  punish- 
ment, lliough  not  common,  did  exist 
in    ancient   times.     Among  the  Ko- 
mans,  the  laws  of  the  twelve  tablc.s 
affixed  this  as  tiie  punishment  of  cer- 
tain crimes,  Lrnt  this  mode  of  execu- 
tion was  very  rare,  since  Aulius  Gcl- 
lius  says  that  in  his  time  no  one  re- 
membered to  have  seen  it  practised. 
It  appears,  however,  from  Suetonius 
that  the  emperor  Calig-ula  often  con- 
demned persons  of  rank  to  be  sawn 
through  the  middle.    Calmct,  writing 
above  a  hundred  years  ago,  says,  "  I 
am  assured  that  the  punishment  of 
the  saw  is  still  in  use  among  the  Swit- 
zers,  and  that  they  put  it  in  practice 
not  many  3'ears  ago  upon  one  of  their 
countrymen,  guilty  of  a  great  crime, 
in  the  plain  of  Grenelles,  near  Paris. 
They  put  him  into  a  kind  of  coffin, 
and  sawed  him  lengthwise,  beginning 
at  the  head,  as  a  piece   of  wood  is 
sawn."  Fict.  Bib.    It  was  not  an  un- 
usual mode  of  punishment  to  cut  a 
person   asunder,  and  to  suspend  the 
different  parts   of  the   body  to  walls 
and  towers  as  a  warning  to  the  liv- 
ing.    Sec  I.  Sam.  xxxi.  10,  and  JVIo- 
ricr's  Second  Journey  to  Persia,  p.  96. 
IT  Were  tempted.    On  this  expression, 
which  has  given  much  perplexity  to 
critics,  see  the  Notes  of  Prof  Stuart, 
Bloomfield,  and  Kuinoel.     Tlicre  is  a 
great  variety  of  reading  in  the  MSS. 
and  editions  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  many  have  regarded  it  as  an  in- 
terpolation.   The  difficulty  vvhicli  has 
been  felt  in  reference  to  it  has  been, 
that  it  is  a  much  7nilder  word  tiian 
those  just  used,  and  that  it  is  hardly 
probable  that  the  apostle  would  enu- 
merate this    among  those  which  he 
had  just  specified,  as  if  to  be  templed 
deserved  to  be  mentioned  among  suf- 
ferings of  so  severe  a  nature.     But  it 


skins  and  goatskins  ;  being  des- 
titute, afflicted,  tormented ; 


seems  to  rac  there  need  be  no  real 
difficulty  in  the  case.  The  apostle 
here,  among  other  sufferings  which 
they  were  called  to  endure,  may  have 
referred  to  the  temptations  which  were 
presented  to  the  martyrs  when  about 
to  die  to  abandon  their  religion  and 
live.  It  is  very  possible  to  conceive 
tliat  this  might  have  been  among  the 
highest  aggravations  of  their  suffer- 
ings. We  know  that  in  later  times 
it  was  a  common  practice  to  offer  life 
to  those  who  were  doomed  to  a  horrid 
death  on  condition  that  they  would 
throw  incense  on  the  altars  of  a  hea- 
then god,  and  we  may  easily  suppose 
that  a  temptation  of  that  kind,  art- 
fully presented  in  the  midst  of  keen 
tortures,  would  greatly  aggravate  their 
sufferings.  Or  suppose  when  a  father 
was  about  to  be  put  to  death  for  his 
religion,  his  wife  and  children  were 
placed  before  Aim  and  should  plead 
with  him  to  save  his  life  by  abandon- 
ing his  religion,  we  can  easily  ima- 
gine that  no  pain  of  the  rack  would 
cause  so  keen  torture  to  the  soul  as 
their  cries  and  tears  would.  Amidst 
the  sorrows  of  martyrs,  therefore,  it 
was  not  improper  to  say  that  they 
were  tempted,  and  to  place  this  among 
their  most  aggravated  woes.  For  in- 
stances of  this  nature,  see  II.  Mac.  vi, 
21,  22;  vii.  17.  24.  f  Were  slain  with 
the  sword.  As  in  the  case  of  tlie 
eighty-five  priests  slain  by  Doeg  ([. 
Sam.  xxii.  16);  and  the  prophets,  of 
whose  slaughter  by  the  sword  Elijah 
complains.  I.  Kings  xix.  10.  ^  Theif 
wandered  about  in  sheepskins  and 
goatskins.  Driven  away  from  their 
homes,  and  compelled  to  clothe  them- 
selves in  this  rude  and  uncomfortable 
manner.  A  dress  of  tiiis  kind,  or  a 
dress  made  of  hair,  was  not  uncom- 
mon with  the  prophets,  and  seems  in- 
deed to  have  been  regarded  as  an  ap- 
propriate badge  of  their  o!^lce.  Sec  II. 
Kings,  i.  8 ;  Zecn.  xiii.  4.  ^  Being 
destitute,  afflicted,  tormented.  Tl)e 
word  tormented  here  means  tortured. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XI. 


293 


38  (Of  whom  the  world  was 
not  worthy  :)  they  wandered  in 
deserts,  and  in  mountains,  and 
in  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth. 

39  And  these  all,  having  ob- 
tained a   good    report  through 

1  or,  foreseen. 

The  apostle  expresses  here  in  general 
what  in  the  previous  verses  he  had 
specified  in  detail. 

38.  Of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy.  The  world  was  so  wicked 
that  it  had  no  claim  that  such  holy 
men  should  live  in  it.  These  poor, 
despised,  and  persecuted  men,  living 
as  outcasts,  and  wanderers,  were  of  a 
character  far  elevated  above  the  world. 
This  is  a  most  beautiful  expression. 
It  is  at  once  a  statement  of  their  emi- 
nent holiness  and  of  the  wickedness 
of  the  rest  of  mankind.  "^  They  wan- 
dered in  deserts,  &c.  On  the  Scrip- 
ture meaning  of  the  word  desert  or 
wilderness,  see  Notes  on  Matt.  iii.  1. 
Tliis  is  a  description  of  persons  driven 
away  from  their  homes,  and  wander- 
ing about  from  place  to  place  to  pro- 
cure a  scanty  subsistence.  Comp.  I. 
Mac.  i.  53  ;  II.  Mac.  v.  27 ;  vi.  7. 
The  instances  mentioned  in  the  Books 
of  Maccabees  are  so  nmch  in  point, 
that  there  ip  no  impropriety  in  sup- 
posing that  Paul  referred  to  some 
such  cases,  if  not  these  very  cases. 
As  there  is  no  doubt  about  their  his- 
toric truth,  there  was  no  impropriety 
in  referring  to  them,  though  they  are 
not  mentioned  in  the  canonical  books 
of  Scripture.  One  of  those  cases  may 
be  referred  to  as  strikingly  illustrating 
what  is  here  said.  "  But  Judas  Mac- 
cabeus with  nine  others,  or  thereabout, 
withdrew  himself  into  the  wilderness, 
and  lived  in  the  mountains  after  the 
manner  of  beasts,  with  his  company, 
V/ho  fed  on  herbs  continually,  lest 
they  should  be  partakers  of  the  pollu- 
tion." II.  Mac.  V.  27. 

39.  And  these  all,  having  obtained 
a  good  report,  through  faith.  I'hey 
were  all  commended  and  approved  on 
account  of  tlieir  confidence  in  God. 
See  Notes  on  ver.  2.     ^  Received  not 

25* 


faith,    received    not   the    pro- 
mise : 

40  God  having  '  provided 
some  better  thing  for  us,  that 
they  without  °  us  should  not  be 
made  perfect. 

a  Re.  6.  11. 


the  promise.  That  is,  did  not  receiva 
the  fulfilment  of  the  promise ;  or  did 
not  receive  all  that  was  promised. 
They  all  still  looked  forward  to  some 
future  blessings.  Notes,  ver.  13. 

40.  God  having  provided  some  bet- 
ter thing  for  us.  Ma.rg.  foreseen.  That 
is,  '  God  having  provided,  or  deter- 
mined on  giving  some  better  thing 
than  any  of  them  realized,  and  which 
we  are  now  permitted  to  enjoy.'  That 
is,  God  gave  them  promises ;  but 
they  were  not  allowed  to  see  their 
fulfilment.  We  are  permitted  now  to 
see  what  they  referred  to,  and  in  part, 
at  least,  to  witness  their  completion; 
and  tliough  the  promise  was  made  to 
them,  the  fuljiiment  more  particularly 
pertains  to  us.  IT  That  they  without 
us  should  not  be  made  perfect.  That 
is,  cmnplete.  The  whole  system  of 
revelation  was  not  complete  at  once, 
or  in  one  generation.  It  required 
successive  ages  to  make  the  system 
complete,  so  that  it  might  be  said  that 
it  wols  finished,  or  perfect.  Our  exist- 
ence, therefore,  and  the  developments 
in  our  times,  were  as  necessary  to  the 
perfection  of  the  system  as  the  pro- 
mise made  to  the  patriarchs.  And 
as  the  system  would  not  have  been 
complete  if  the  blessings  had  been 
simply  conferred  on  us  without  the 
previous  arrangements,  and  the  long 
scheme  of  introductory  measures,  so 
it  would  not  have  been  complete  if 
the  promises  had  been  merely  given 
to  tlieni  without  the  corresponding 
fulfilment  in  our  times.  They  are 
like  the  two  parts  of  a  tally.  The 
fathers  had  one  part  in  the  pro- 
mises, and  we  the  other  in  the  fulfil- 
ment, and  neither  would  have  been 
complete  without  the  other.  The 
'  better  things'  then  referred  to  here 
as  possessed  by  Christians,  are   the 


294 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  61. 


privilege  of  seeing  those  promises 
fulfilled  in  the  Messiah  ;  the  blessings 
resulting  from  the  atonement;  the 
more  expanded  views  whieh  they 
have  under  the  gospel ;  the  brighter 
hopes  of  heaven  itself,  and  the  elearer 
apprehension  of  what  lieaven  will  be, 
which  they  are  permitted  to  enjoy. 
This,  therefore,  aecords  entirely  with 
the  argument  wliieh  the  apostle  is 
pursuing — which  is,  to  show  that  the 
Christians  whom  he  addressed  should 
not  apostatize  from  their  religion. 
The  argument  is,  that  in  numerous 
instances,  as  specified,  the  saints  of 
ancient  times,  even  under  fiery  trials, 
were  sustained  by  faith  in  God,  and 
that  too  when  they  had  not  seen  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promises,  and  when 
they  had  much  more  obscure  views 
than  we  are  permitted  to  enjoy.  If 
they,  under  the  influence  of  the  mere 
promise  of  future  blessings,  were  en- 
abled thus  to  persevere,  how  much 
more  reason  is  there  for  us  to  perse- 
vere who  have  been  permitted,  by  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah,  to  witness 
the  perfection  of  the  system  ! 

There  is  no  part  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament of  more  value  than  this  chap- 
ter ;  none  which  deserves  to  be  more 
patiently  studied,  or  which  may  be 
more  frequently  applied  to  the  cir- 
cumstances of  Christians.  These  in- 
valuable records  are  adapted  to  sus- 
tain us  in  times  of  trial,  temptation, 
and  persecution ;  to  show  us  what 
faith  has  done  injlays  that  are  past, 
and  what  it  may  do  still  in  similar 
circumstances.  Nothing  can  better 
show  the  value  and  the  power  of  faith, 
or  of  true  religion,  than  the  records 
in  this  chapter.  It  has  done  what 
nothing  else  could  do.  It  has  enabled 
men  to  endure  what  nothing  else 
would  enable  them  to  bear,  and  it  has 
shown  its  power  in  inducing  tlicin  to 
give  up,  at  tlie  command  of  God,  what 
the  human  heart  holds  most  dear. 
And  among  the  lessons  which  we 
may  derive  from  the  study  of  this 
portion  of  divine  truth,  let  us  learn 
from  the  example  of  .\bel  to  continue 
to  oflTcr  to  God  the  sacrifice  of  true 
piety  which  Iv:  requires,  though  we 


may  be  taunted  or  opposed  by  oiii 
nearest  kindreil ;  from  that  of  Enoch 
to  walk  with  God,  though  surrounded 
by  a  wicked  world,  and  to  look  to  the 
blessed  translation  to  heaven  which 
awaits  all  the  righteous ;  from  that 
of  Noah  to  comply  with  all  the  direc- 
tions of  God,  and  to  make  all  needful 
preparations  for  the  future  events 
which  he  has  predicted,  in  which  we 
are  to  be  interested — as  death,  judg- 
ment, and  eternity — though  the  events 
may  seem  to  be  remote,  and  though 
there  may  be  no  visible  indications 
of  their  coming,  and  though  the  world 
may  deride  our  faith  and  our  fears; 
from  that  of  Abraham  to  leave  coun- 
try, and  home,  and  kindred,  if  God 
calls  us  to,  and  to  go  just  where  he 
commands,  through  deserts  and  wilds, 
and  among  strange  men,  and  like 
him  also  to  be  ready  to  give  up  the 
dearest  objects  of  our  earthly  affec- 
tion, even  when  attended  with  all  tliat 
can  try  or  torture  our  feelings  of  af- 
fection— feeling  that  God  who  gave 
has  a  right  to  require  their  removal 
in  his  own  way,  and  that  however 
much  we  may  fix  our  hopes  on  a  dear 
cliikl,  he  can  fulfil  all  his  purposes 
and  promises  to  us  thougli  such  a 
child  should  be  removed  by  death ; 
from  that  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  to  regard  ourselves  as  stran- 
gers and  pilgrims  on  earth,  having 
here  no  permanent  home,  and  seek- 
ing a  better  country ;  from  that  of 
Moses  to  be  willing  to  leave  all  the 
pomp  and  splendour  of  the  world,  all 
our  brilliant  prospects  and  hopes,  and 
to  welcome  poverty,  reproach,  and 
suffering,  that  we  may  identify  our- 
selves  with  the  people  of  God  ;  by  the 
remembrance  of  the  host  of  worthies 
who  met  danger,  and  encountered 
mighty  foes,  and  vanquished  them, 
let  us  learn  to  go  forth  in  our  spiritual 
conflicts  against  the  enemies  of  our 
souls  and  of  the  church,  assured  of 
victory ;  and  from  the  example  tif, 
those  who  were  driven  from  the 
abodes  of  men,  and  exposed  to  tlie 
storms  of  persecution,  let  us  learn  to 
bear  every  trial,  and  to  be  ready  at 
any  moment  to  lay  down  our  lives  in 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


295 


tlie  cause  of  truth  and  of  God.     Of 
all  those  holy  men  who   made   these 
sacrifices,  which  of  them  ever  regret- 
ted it,  when  he  came  calmly  to  look 
over  his  life,  and  to  review  it  on  the 
borders  of  the  eternal  world  ?    None. 
Not  one  of  tliem  ever  expressed  re- 
gret that  he  had  given  up  the  world  ; 
or  that  he  had  obeyed  the   Lord  too 
early,  too  faithfully,  or  too  long.    Not 
Abraham  who  lelt  his   country  and 
kindred ;  not  Moses  who  abandoned 
his  brilliant  prospects  in  Egypt ;  not 
Noah  who  subjected  himself  to  ridi- 
cule and  scorn  for   an  hundred  and 
twenty  years  ;  and  not  one   of  those 
■who  were  exposed  to  lions,  to  fire,  to 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  or  who  were 
driven  away  from  society  as  outcasts 
to  wander  in  pathless   deserts   or  to 
take  up  their  abodes  in  caverns,  ever 
regretted  the  course  which  they  had 
chosen.     And  who   of  them  all  now 
regrets  it  ?     Who,  of  these  worthies, 
now  looks  from  heaven  and  feels  that 
he  suifered  one  privation  too  much, 
or  that  he  has  not  had  an  ample  re- 
compense for  all  the  ills   he   experi- 
enced in  the  cause  of  religion  ?     So 
we  shall  feel  when  from  the  bed  of 
death  we  look  over  the  present  life, 
and  look  out  on  eternity.     Whatever 
our  religion  may  have  cost   us,  we 
shall  not  feel  that  we  began  to  serve 
God  too  early,  or  served  him  too  faith- 
fully.    Whatever    pleasure,   gain,  or 
splendid  prospects  we  gave  up  in  or- 
der to  become  Christians,  we  shall 
feel  that  it  was  the  way  of  wisdom, 
and  shall  rejoice  that  we  were  able  to 
do    it.      whatever    sacrifices,   trials, 
persecution,  and  pain,  we  may  meet 
with,  we  shall  feel  that  there  has  been 
more  than  a  compensation  in  the  con- 
solations of  religion,  and  in  the  hope 
of  heaven,  and  that  by  every  sacrifice 
we  have  been  the  gainers.    When  we 
reach  heaven,  we  shall  see  that  we 
have  not  endured  one  pain  too  much, 
and  that  through  whatever  trials  we 
may  have  passed,  the  result  is  w^orth 
all  which  it  has  cost.     Strengthened 
then  in  our  trials  by  the  remembrance 
of  what  faith  has  done  in  times  that 
are   past;  recalling   the  example  of 


those  who  through  faith  and  patience 
have  inherited  the  promises,  let  us  go 
cheerfully  on  our  way.  Soon  the 
journey  of  trials  will  be  ended,  and 
soon  whaX  are  now  objects  of  faith 
will  become  objects  of  fruition,  and 
in  their  enjoyment  how  trifling  and 
brief  will  seem  all  the  sorrows  of  our 
pilgrimage  below  ! 

CHAPTER  XII. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    CHAPTER. 

The  apostle  having  illustrated  the 
nature  and  power  of  faith  in  the  pre- 
vious chapter,  proceeds  in  this  to  ex- 
hort those  to  whom  he  wrote  to  apply 
the  same  principles  to  their  own  case, 
and  to  urge  them  to  manifest  the 
same  steady  confidence  in  God  and 
perseverance  in  their  holy  walk.  For 
tliis  purpose,  he  adverts  to  the  follow- 
ing arguments  or  considerations : 

I.  He  represents  the  ancient  wor- 
thies who  had  so  faithfully  persevered 
and  so  gloriously  triumphed,  as  wit- 
nesses  of  their  strife  in  the  Christian 
race,  and  as  cheering  them  on  to  vie- 
tory.     Ver.  1. 

II.  He  appeals  to  the  example  of 
the  .Saviour.  Vs.  2 — 4.  This  was  a 
more  illustrious  instance  than  anv  of 
those  which  had  been  adverted  to,  and 
is  not  referred  to  loith  theirs,  but  is 
adduced  as  deserving  a  separate  and 
a  special  specification.  The  circum- 
stances in  his  case  which  are  an  en- 
couragement to  perseverance  in  the 
Christian  conilict,  are  these.  (1.)  He 
endured  the  cross,  and  is  now  exalted 
to  the  right  hand  of  God.  (2.)  He 
bore  the  contradiction  of  sinners 
against  himself,  as  those  were  called 
to  do  to  whom  Paul  wrote.  (3.)  H3 
went  beyond  them  in  his  trials  and 
temptations — beyond  anything  which 
they  could  have  reason  to  apprehend 
—  for  he  had  'resisted  unto  blood, 
striving  against  sin.' 

III.  He  encourages  them  by  show- 
ing that  their  trials  would  result  in 
their  own  good,  and  particularly  that 
the  hand  of  a  Father  was  in  them. 
Vs.  5 — 13.  Particularly  he  urges  (1) 
that  God  addressed  those  who  suffer- 
ed as  his  sons,  and  called  on  them  not 


296 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WHEREFORE   seeing    we 
also  are  compassed  about 

to  receive  witli  improper  feeling  the 
chastening  of  the  Lord,  vcr.  5 ;  (2) 
that  it  was  a  general  prinelplc  that 
the  Lord  chastened  tliose  whom  lie 
loved,  and  the  fact  that  we  received 
chastening  was  to  be  regarded  as  evi- 
dence that  we  are  under  his  paternal 
care,  and  that  he  has  not  forsaken  us, 
vs.  6 — 8 ;  (3)  that  they  had  been  sub- 
ject to  the  correction  of  earthly  fa- 
thers and  had  learned  to  be  submis- 
Bive,  and  that  there  was  much  higher 
reason  for  submitting  to  God,  vs.  9, 
10 ;  (4)  and  that  however  painful  chas- 
tisement might  be  at  present,  yet  it 
would  ultimately  produce  important 
benefits.  Vcr.  11.  By  these  consid- 
erations he  encourages  them  to  bear 
their  trials  with  patience,  and  to  as- 
sume new  courage  in  their  efforts  to 
live  a  Christian  life.     Vs.  12,  13. 

IV.  He  exhorts  them  to  persever- 
ance and  fidelity  by  the  fact  that  if 
they  should  become  remiss,  and  re- 
nounce their  confidence  in  God,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  retrieve  what 
was  lost.  Vs.  14 — 17,  In  illustrat- 
ing this,  he  appeals  to  the  case  of 
Esau.  For  a  trifling  consideration, 
when  in  distress,  he  parted  with  an 
invaluable  blessing.  When  it  was 
gone,  it  was  impossible  to  recover  it. 
No  consideration  could  induce  a 
change,  though  he  sought  it  earnestly 
with  tears.  So  it  would  be  with  Cliris- 
tians,  if,  under  the  power  of  tempta- 
tion, they  should  renounce  their  reli- 
gion, and  go  back  to  their  former 
state. 

V.  He  urges  them  to  perseverance 
by  the  nature  of  the  dispensation  un- 
der which  they  were,  as  compared 
with  the  one  under  which  they  had 
formerly  been — the  Jewish.  Vs.  18 
— 29.  Under  the  former,  evcrytliing 
was  fitted  to  alarm  and  terrify  the 
soul.  Vs.  18 — 21.  Tlie  new  dispen- 
sation was  of  a  different  character. 
It  was  adapted  to  encourage  and  to 
win  the  heart.     The  real  Mount  Zion 


with  60  great  a  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses, let  us  lay  aside  "  every 

a  2  Co.  7.  1. 


— the  city  of  the  living  God — the  New 
Jerusalem — the  company  of  the  an- 
gels— the  church  of  the  first-born — 
the  Judge  of  all — the  great  Mediator 
— to  wiiich  they  had  come  under  the 
new  dispensation,  all  these  were  fitted 
to  encourage  the  fainting  heart,  and 
to  win  the  affections  of  the  soul.  Vs. 
22 — 21.  Yet,  in  proportion  to  the 
sacredness  and  tenderness  of  tlieso 
considerations,  and  to  the  light  and 
privileges  which  they  now  enjoyed, 
would  be  their  guilt  if  they  should 
renounce  tlieir  religion  —  for  under 
this  dispensation,  as  under  tlie  old, 
God  was  a  consuming  fire.  Vs.  25 
—29. 

1.  Wlierefore.  In  view  of  what 
has  been  said  in  the  previous  chap- 
ter. ^  Seeing  we  also  are  compassed 
about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses. The  apostle  represents  those 
to  whom  he  had  referred  in  the  pre- 
vious chapter  as  looking  on  to  witness 
the  efforts  which  Christians  make, 
and  the  manner  in  which  they  live. 
There  is  allusion  here,  doubtless,  to 
the  ancient  games.  A  great  multitude 
of  spectators  usually  occupied  the  cir- 
cular seats  in  the  amphitheatre,  from 
which  they  could  easily  behold  the 
combatants.  See  Notes  on  I.  Cor. 
ix.  21 — 27.  In  like  manner,  the 
apostle  represents  Christians  as  en- 
compassed with  the  multitude  of  wor- 
thies to  whom  he  had  referred  in  the 
previous  chapter.  It  cannot  be  fairly 
inferred  from  this  that  he  means  to 
say  that  all  those  ancient  worthies 
were  actually  looking  at  the  conduct 
of  Christians,  and  saw  their  conflicts 
It  is  a  figurative  representation,  such 
as  is  common,  and  means  tliat  we 
ought  to  act  as  if  they  were  in  sight, 
and  cheered  us  on.  How  tar  the 
spirits  of  the  just  who  are  departed 
from  tills  world  are  permitted  to  be- 
hold what  is  done  on  earth — if  at  all 
—  is  not  revealed  in  tiic  Scriptures 
The   phrase  'a  cloud  of  witnesses,' 


A.  D.  C4.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


297 


weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth 
so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us 

means  many  witnesses,  or  a  number 
so  great  that  they  seem  to  be  a  cloud. 
The  comparison  of  a  multitude  of  per- 
sons to  a  cloud   is  common   in  the 
classic  writers.     See  Homer,  II.    iv. 
274,  xxiii.  133;   Statius,  i.  340,  and 
other  instances  adduced  in  Wetstein, 
in  loc.     Comp.  Notes  on  I.  Thes.  iv. 
17.     IT  Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight. 
The  word  rendered  weight — oyKov — 
means  that  which  is  crooked  or  hook- 
ed, and  thence   anything-  tliat  is  at- 
tached or  suspended  by  a  hook — that 
is,  by  its  whole   weight,  and  hence 
means  weight.    See  Fassow.     It  does 
not  occur  elsewhere  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament.    The  word  is  often  used  in 
the  classic  writers  in  the   sense   of 
swelling,    tumour,    pride.     Its  usual 
meaning  is  that  of  weight  or  burden, 
and  there  is  allusion  here,  doubtless, 
to  the  runners  in  the  games  who  were 
careful  not  to  encumber  themselves 
with  anything  that  was  heavy.  Hence 
their  clothes  were  so  made  as  not  to 
impede  their  running,  and  hence  they 
were  careful  in  their  training  not  to 
overburden  themselves  with  food,  and 
in  every  way  to  remove  what  would 
be  an  impediment  or  hindrance.     As 
applied  to  the  racers,  it  does  not  mean 
that  they  began  to  run  with  anything 
like  a  burden  and  then  threw  it  away 
—  as    persons    sometimes   aid   their 
jumping  by  taking  a  stone   in  their 
hands  to  acquire    increased   momen- 
tum— but  that  they  were  careful  not 
to  allow  anything   that   would   be  a 
weight  or  an  encumbrance.     As  ap- 
plied  to   Christians,    it   means   that 
they  should  remove  all  which  would 
obstruct  their  progress  in  the  Chris- 
tian course.     Thus  it  is  fair  to  apply 
it  to  whatever  would  be  an  impedi- 
ment in  our  efforts  to  win  the  crown 
of  life.     It  is  not  the  same  thing  in 
all  persons.     In  one  it  may  be  pride ; 
in  another  vanity  ;  in  another  world- 
liness  ;  in   another  a  violent  and  al- 
most ungovernable   temper;    in    an- 
other a  corrupt  imagination  ;  in  an- 


run  with  patience  the  race  that 
is  set  before  us, 


other  a  heavy,  leaden,  insensible  heart; 
in  another  some  improper  and  unholy 
attachment.     Whatever    it   may    be, 
we  are  exhorted  to  lay  it  aside ;  and 
this  general  direction  may  be  applied 
to  anything  which  prevents  our  mak> 
ing  the  highest  possible  attainment 
in    the    divine   life.     Some    persons 
would  make  much  more  progress  if 
they  would  throw  away  many  of  their 
personal   ornaments ;    some    if  they 
would  disencumber  themselves  of  the 
heavy  weight  of  gold  which  they  are 
endeavouring    to    carry    with    them. 
So  some  very  light  objects,  in  them, 
selves    considered,    become    material 
encumbrances.      Even  a  feather  or  a 
ring — such  may  be  the  fondness  for 
these    toys  —  may    become    such    a 
weight  that  they    will   never   make 
much  progress  towards  the  prize.     V 
And  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset 
us.  The  word  which  is  here  rendered 
'  easily  beset' — iv-KepiaTaTov — euperista- 
ton — does  not  elsewhere  occur  in  the 
New  Testament.     It  properly  means, 
'  standing  well  around  ;'    and  hence 
denotes   that  which    is    near,   or  at 
hand,  or  readily  occurring.  So  Chrys- 
ostom  explains  it.     Passow  defines  it 
as  meaning,  '  easy  to  encircle.'     Tin- 
dal  renders  it  '  the  sin  that  hangeth 
on  us.'   Theodoret  and  others  explain 
the  word  as  if  derived  from  ntpiaraais 
—  peristasis  —  a  word  which   some- 
times  means    affliction,    peril  —  and 
hence    regard    it   as    denoting    that 
which  is  full  of  peril,  or  the  sin  which 
so  easily  subjects   one    to    calamity, 
Bloomfield    supposes,    in  accordance 
with  the  opinion  of  Grotius,  Crellius, 
Kype,    Kuinoel    and  others,    that   it 
means   "  the    sin    which    especiallj' 
winds    around   us    and    hinders   our 
course,"   with   allusion   to    the   long 
Oriental    garments.      According    to 
this,  the  meaning  would  be,  that  as  a 
runner  would  be  careful  not  to  en- 
cumber  himself  with  a  garment  which 
would  be  apt  to  wind  around  his  legs 
in  running  and   hinder   him,   so   it 


298 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  Cl. 


2  Lookinor    unto    Jesus    the 


I  or,  be/finncr. 


a  Lii.  24.  26. 


should  be  with  the  Christian,  wiio  es- 
pecially ought  to  lay  aside  everything 
which  resembles  this  ;  that  is,  all  sin 
whicli  must  impede  his  course.  The 
former  of  these  interpretations,  how- 
ever, is  most  commonly  adopted,  and 
best  agrees  with  the  established  sense 
of  the  word.  It  will  then  mean 
that  we  are  to  lay  aside  every  encum- 
brance, particularly  or  especially — 
for  so  the  word  xai  '  and,''  should  be 
rendered  here — the  sins  to  which  we 
are  most  exposed.  Such- sins  are  ap- 
propriately called  '  easily-besetting 
sins.'  They  are  those  to  which  we 
are  particularly  liable.  They  are 
6uch  sins  as  the  following.  (I.)  Those 
to  which  we  are  particularly  exposed 
by  our  natural  temperament,  or  dis- 
position. In  some  this  is  pride,  in 
others  indolence,  or  gaiety,  or  levity, 
or  avarice,  or  ambition,  or  sensuality. 
(2.)  Those  in  which  we  freely  indulged 
before  we  became  Christians.  Tliey 
will  be  likely  to  return  with  power, 
and  wo  are  far  more  likely,  from  the 
laws  of  association,  to  fall  into  them 
than  into  any  other.  Thus  a  man 
who  has  been  intemperate,  is  in  spe- 
cial danger  from  that  quarter  ;  a  man 
who  has  been  an  infidel,  is  in  special 
danger  of  scepticism  ;  one  who  has 
been  avaricious,  proud,  ga}',  or  ambi- 
tious, is  in  special  danger,  even  after 
conversion,  of  again  committing  these 
sins.  (3.)  Sins  to  which  we  are  ex- 
posed by  our  profession,  by  our  re- 
lations to  otiiers,  or  by  our  situation 
in  lite.  They  whose  condition  will 
entitle  them  to  associate  with  what 
aro  regarded  as  the  more  elevated 
classes  of  society,  are  in  special  dan- 
ger of  indulging  in  the  methods  of 
living  and  of  anmsemcnt  that  are 
common  among  tlicm  ;  they  who  are 
prospered  in  the  world  are  in  danger 
of  losing  the  simplicity  and  spirit- 
uality of  their  religion;  they  wiio 
liold  a  civil  ollicc  are  in  danger  of  be- 
coming mere  politicians,  and  of  losing 
tlie  very  form  and  substance  of  piety. 
(4.)  Sins  to  which  we    arc    exposed 


'  author  and  finisher  o(our  faith  ; 
who,  for  the  "  joy  that  was  set 

from  some  peculiar  weakness  in  our 
character.  On  some  points  we  may 
be  in  no  danger.  \Vc  may  be  consti- 
tutionally so  firm  as  not  to  be  espe- 
cially liable  to  certain  forms  of  sin. 
But  every  man  has  one  or  more  weak 
points  in  his  character ;  and  it  is 
there  that  lie  is  particularly  exposed. 
A  bow  may  be  in  the  main  very 
strong.  All  along  its  length  there 
may  be  no  danger  of  its  giving  way 
— save  at  one  place  where  it  has  been 
made  too  thin,  or  where  the  material 
was  defective — and  if  it  ever  breaks, 
it  will  of  course  be  at  that  point.  That 
is  the  point,  therefore,  which  needs 
to  be  guarded  and  strengthened.  So 
in  reference  to  character.  There  is 
always  some  W'Cak  point  which  needs 
specially  to  be  guarded,  and  our  prin- 
cipal danger  is  there.  Self-knowledge, 
so  necessary  in  leading  a  holy  life, 
consists  much  in  searching  out  those 
weak  points  of  character  where  we 
are  most  exposed ;  and  our  progress 
in  the  Christian  course  will  be  deter- 
mined much  by  the  fidelity  with 
which  we  guard  and  strengthen  them. 
If  And  let  us  run  with  patience  the 
race  that  is  set  before  us.  The  word 
rendered  'patience'  rather  means  in 
this  place  perseverance.  We  are  to 
run  the  race  without  allowing  our- 
selves  to  be  hindered  by  any  obstruc- 
tions, and  without  giving  out  or  faint- 
ing in  the  way.  Encouraged  by  the 
example  of  the  multitudes  who  have 
run  the  same  race  before  us,  and  who 
arc  now  looking  out  upon  us  from 
heaven  where  they  dwell,  we  are  to 
persevere  as  they  did  to  the  end. 

2.  Looking  unto  Jesus,  -^s  a  farther 
inducement  to  do  this,  the  apostle  ex- 
horts us  to  look  to  the  Saviour.  We 
are  to  look  to  his  holy  life ;  to  his  pa- 
tience and  perses-orance  in  trials ;  to 
what  he  endured  in  order  to  obtain 
the  crown,  and  to  his  irjial  success 
and  triumph.  IT  The  author  andjin- 
isher  of  our  faith.  The  word  '  our'' 
is  not  in  the  original  here,  and  ob- 
scures tlic  sense.     Tlic   meaning  is. 


A.  D  C4.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


beforts  hirn,  endured  the  cross, 
despising  the  shame,  and  is  set 

he   's  the  first  and   the    last    as    aa 
example  of  faith,  or  of  confidence  in 
God — occupying  in  this,  as  in  all  other 
things,  the  pre-eminence,  and  being 
the  most  complete  model  that  can  be 
placed  before  us.     The   apostle   had 
not   enumerated   him    among    those 
who  had  been  distinguished  tor  their 
faith,  but  he  now  refers   to  him   as 
above  them   all ;   as  a  case  that  de- 
served to  stand  by  itself.     It  is  pro- 
bable that  there  is  a  continuance  here 
of  the  allusion  to  the  Grecian  games 
which  the  apostle  had  commenced  in 
the  previous  verse.    The  word  author 
— apX''>'°'' — (marg.  beginner) — means 
properly  the  source,  or  cause  of  any 
thing ;   or  one  who  makes  a   begin- 
ning.    It  is  rendered  in  Acts  iii.  15, 
V.  31,  Prince  ;  in  Heb.  ii.  10,  Captain ; 
and  in  the  place  before  us,  Author.  It 
does  not  elsewhere  occur  in  the  New 
Testament.     The  phrase  '  the  begin- 
ner of  faith,'  or  the  leader  on  of  faith, 
would  express  the  idea.     He  is  at  the 
head  of  all  those  who  have  furnished 
an  example  of  confidence  in  God,  for 
he  was  himself  the  most  illustrious 
instance  of  it.     The  expression,  then, 
does  not  mean  properly  that  he  pro- 
duces faith  in  us,  or  that  we  believe 
because  he  causes  us  to  believe — what- 
ever may  be  the  truth  about  that — but 
that  he  stands  at  the  head  as  the  most 
eminent  example  that  can  be  referred 
to  on  the  subject  of  faith.     We   are 
exhorted  to  look  to  him,  as  if  at  the 
Grecian  games    there   was    one  who 
stood  before  the  racer  who  had  pre- 
viously carried  away  every  palm  of  vic- 
tory; vvhohad  alwaysbeen  triumphant, 
ind  with  whom  there  was  no  one  who 
fould  be  compared.  The  word  yinisA- 
ar — Ti'XctwTriv — corresponds  in  mcan- 
ixig  with  the  word  author.     It  means 
that  he  is  the  completer  as  well  as  the 
beginner;  the  last  aswell  a.s  t\ic  first. 
As  there   has  been   no   one   hitlierto 
who  could  be  compared  Vv'itli  him,  so 
there  will  be  no  one  hereafter.  Comp. 
Rev.  i.  8.  11.  "I  am  Alpha  and  Ome- 
ga, the  beginning  and  the  ending  the 


down  at  the  right 
throne  of  God. 


299 
hand  of  the 


first  and  the  last."  The  word  does 
not  mean  that  he  was  the  '  finisher' 
of  faith  in  the  sense  that  he  makes 
our  faith  complete  or  perfects  it  • 
whatever  may  be  true  about  that — 
but  that  he  occupies  this  elevated  po- 
sition of  being  beyond  comparison 
above  all  others.  Alike  in  the  com- 
mencement  and  the  close,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  faith  and  in  its  ending,  he 
stands  pre-eminent.  To  this  illustri- 
ous model  we  should  look — as  a  racer 
would  on  one  who  had  been  always 
so  successful  that  he  surpassed  all 
competitors  and  rivals.  If  this  be  the 
meaning,  then  it  is  not  properly  ex- 
plained, as  it  is  commonly  (see  Bloom- 
field  and  Stuart  in  loc),  by  saying  that 
the  word  here  is  synonymous  with 
rewardcr,  and  refers  to  the  figaiiEvrfu 
— brabeutes — or  the  distributor  of  the 
prize.  Comp.  Notes  on  Coll.  iii.  15. 
There  is  no  instance  where  the  word 
is  used  in  this  sense  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment (comp.  Passow),  nor  would  such 
an  interpretation  present  so  beautiful 
and  appropriate  a  thought  as  the  one 
suggested  above.  H  Who  for  the  joy 
that  was  set  before  him.  That  is,  who 
in  view  of  all  the  honour  which  he 
would  have  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 
and  the  happiness  which  he  would  ex- 
perience from  the  consciousness  that 
he  had  redeemed  a  world,  was  willing 
to  bear  the  sorrows  connected  with 
the  atonement.  IT  Endured  the  cross. 
Endured  patiently  the  ignominy  and 
pain  connected  with  the  suffering  of 
death  on  the  cross.  H  Despising  the 
shame.  Disregarding  the  ignominy 
of  such  a  mode  of  death.  It  is  diffi- 
cult for  us  now  to  realize  the  force  of 
the  expression,  '  enduring  tlie  shame 
of  the  cross,'  as  it  was  understood  in 
the  time  of  the  Saviour  and  the  apos- 
tles. The  views  of  the  world  have 
changed,  and  it  is  now  diiBcult  to  di- 
vest the  '  cross'  of  the  associations  of 
honour  and  glory  which  the  word 
suggests,  so  as  to  appreciate  the  ideas 
which  encompassed  it  then.  There 
ia  a  degree  of  dishonour  which  we 


300 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


8  For  consider  him  that  en- 
dured such  contradiction  of  sin- 
attach  to  the  guillotine,  but  the  igno- 
miny of  a  death  on  the  cross  was 
greater  tlian  that;  tlicre  is  disgrace 
attached  to  the  block,  but  the  igno- 
miny of  the  cross  was  greater  than 
that ;  there  is  a  much  deeper  infamy 
attached  to  tiie  gallows,  but  the  igno- 
miny of  the  cross  was  greater  than 
that.  And  that  word  —  the  cross  — 
which  when  now  proclaimed  in  tlie 
ears  of  the  retincd,  the  intelligent,  and 
even  the  gay,  excites  an  idea  of  ho-, 
nour,  in  the  ears  of  the  people  of 
Athens,  of  Corinth,  and  of  Rome,  ex- 
cited deeper  disgust  than  the  word 
gallows  does  with  us — for  it  was  re- 
garded as  tiie  appropriate  punishment 
of  the  most  infamous  of  mankind. 
We  can  now  scarcely  appreciate  these 
feelings,  and  of  course  the  declaration 
that  Jesus  '  endured  the  cross,  despis- 
ing the  shame,'  does  not  make  tlie 
impression  on  our  minds  in  regard  to 
the  nature  of  his  sufierings  and  the 
value  of  his  example  which  it  should 
do.  When  we  now  think  of  the '  cross,' 
it  is  not  of  the  multitude  of  slaves, 
and  robbers,  and  tliievcs,  and  rebels, 
who  have  died  on  it,  but  of  the  one 
great  Victim  whose  death  lias  enno- 
bled even  this  instrument  of  torture, 
and  encircled  it  with  a  halo  of  glory. 
We  have  been  accustomed  to  read  of 
it  as  an  unperial  standard  in  war  in 
the  days  of  Constantine,  and  as  the 
banner  under  which  armies  have 
marched  to  conquest ;  it  is  intermin- 
gled with  the  sweetest  poetry  ;  it  is  a 
sacred  tiling  in  the  most  magnificent 
cathedrals ;  it  adorns  the  altar,  and 
is  even  an  object  of  adoration ;  it  is 
in  the  most  elegant  engravings  ;  it  is 
worn  by  beauty  and  piety  as  an  orna- 
ment near  the  heart ;  it  is  associated 
with  all  tliat  is  pure  in  love,  great  in 
self-sacrifice,  and  holy  in  religion. 
To  see  the  true  force  of  the  expression 
here,  therefore,  it  is  necessary  to  di- 
vest ourselves  of  these  ideas  of  glory 
which  encircle  the  '  cross,'  and  to 
place  ourselves  in  the  times  and  lands 
in  which,  when  tlie  most  infamous  of 


ners  against  himself,  lest  ye  bo 
wearied  and  faint  in  your  minds. 


mankind  were  stretched  upon  it,  it 
was  regarded  for  such  men  as  an  ap- 
propriate mode  of  punishment.  That 
infamy  Jesus  was  willing  to  bear, 
and  the  strength  of  his  confidence  in 
God,  liis  love  for  man,  and  the  depth 
of  liis  humiliation,  was  shown  in  the 
readiness  and  firmness  with  which 
he  went  forward  to  such  a  death. 
If  And  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  throne  of  God.  Exalted  to  the 
highest  place  of  dignity  and  honour 
in  the  universe.  Notes,  Mark  xvi.  19  ; 
Eph.  i.  20 — 22.  The  sentiment  here 
is,  '  Imitate  the  example  of  the  great 
Author  of  our  religion.  He,  in  view 
of  the  honour  and  joy  before  him,  en- 
dured the  most  severe  sufferings  to 
which  the  human  frame  can  be  sub- 
jected, and  the  form  of  death  which 
is  regarded  as  the  most  shameful.  So 
amidst  all  the  severe  trials  to  which 
you  are  exposed  on  account  of  reli- 
gion, patiently  endure  all  —  for  the 
glorious  rewards,  the  happiness  and 
the  triumph  of  heaven,  are  before 
you.' 

3.  For  consider  him.  Attentively 
reflect  on  his  example  that  you  may 
be  able  to  bear  your  trials  in  a  proper 
manner.  IT  That  endured  such  con- 
tradiction  of  sinners.  Such  opposition. 
The  reference  is  to  the  Jews  of  the 
time  of  the  Saviour,  who  opposed  his 
plans,  perverted  his  sayings,  and  ridi 
culed  his  claims.  Yet,  regardless  ot 
their  opposition,  he  persevered  in  the 
course  which  he  had  marked  out,  and 
went  patiently  forward  in  the  execu- 
tion of  his  plans.  The  idea  is,  that 
we  are  to  pursue  the  path  of  duty  and 
follow  the  dictates  of  conscience,  let 
the  world  say  wliat  they  will  about 
it.  In  doing  this  we  cannot  find  a 
better  example  than  the  Saviour.  No 
opposition  of  sinners  overturned  him 
from  tlie  way  which  he  regarded  as 
right;  no  ridicule  ever  caused  him  to 
abandon  any  of  his  plans ;  no  argu- 
ment, or  expression  of  scorn,  ever 
caused  him  tor  a  moment  to  deviate 
from  his  course,  V  Lest  ye  be  wearied 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


301 


4  Ye  have  not  yet  resisted 


and  faint  in  your  minds.  The  mean- 
ing is,  that  there  is  great  danger  of 
being  disheartened  and  wearied  out 
by  the  opposition  which  you  meet 
with.  But  with  the  bright  example 
of  one  who  was  never  disheartened, 
and  who  never  became  weary  in  doing 
the  will  of  God,  you  may  persevere. 
The  best  means  of  leading  a  faithful 
Christian  life  amidst  the  opposition 
which  we  may  encounter,  is  to  keep 
the  eye  steadily  fixed  on  the  Saviour. 
4.  Ye  have  not  yet  resisted  unto 
blood,  striving  against  sin.  The  gen- 
eral sense  of  tJiis  passage  is,  '  you 
have  not  yet  been  called  in  your  Chris- 
tian struggles  to  the  highest  kind  of 
sufferings  and  sacrifices.  Great  as 
your  trials  may  seem  to  have  been,  yet 
your  faith  has  not  yet  been  put  to  the 
severest  test.  And  since  this  is  so, 
you  ought  not  to  yield  in  the  conflict 
with  evil,  but  manfully  resist  it.'  In 
the  language  liere  used  there  is  un- 
doubtedly a  continuance  of  the  allu- 
sion to  the  agonistic  games — the  atrug- 
glings  and  wrestlings  for  mastery 
there.  In  those  games,  the  boxers 
were  accustomed  to  arm  themselves 
for  the  fight  with  the  ccestus.  This 
at  first  consisted  of  strong  leathern 
thongs  wound  around  the  hands,  and 
extending  only  to  the  wrist,  to  give 
greater  solidity  to  the  Jist.  After- 
wards these  were  made  to  extend  to 
the  elbow,  and  then  to  the  shoulder, 
and  finally,  they  sowed  pieces  of  lead 
or  iron  in  them  that  they  might  strike 
a  heavier  and  more  destructive  blow. 
The  consequence  was,  that  those  who 
were  engaged  in  the  fight  were  often 
covered  with  blood,  and  that  resist- 
ance '  unto  bloqd'  showed  a  determin- 
ed courage,  and  a  purpose  not  to  yield. 
But  though  the  language  here  may 
be  taken  Irom  this  custom,  the  fact  to 
which  the  apostle  alludes,  it  seems  to 
me,  is  the  struggling  of  the  Saviour 
in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  wlien 
his  conflict  was  so  severe  that  great 
drops  of  blood  fell  down  to  the  ground. 
See  Notes  on  Matt.  xxvi.  42—44.  It 
2fi 


unto    blood,    striving     against 
sin. 


is,  indeed,  commonly  understood  to 
mean  that  they  had  not  yet  been  call- 
ed to  shed  their  blood  as  martyrs  in 
the  cause  of  religion.  See  Stuart, 
Bloomfield,  Doddridge,  Clarke,  Whit- 
by, Kuinoel,  &c.  Indeed,  I  find  in 
none  of  the  commentators  what  seems 
to  me  to  be  the  true  sense  of  this  pas- 
sage, and  what  gives  an  exquisite 
beauty  to  it,  the  allusion  to  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  Saviour  in  the  garden. 
The  reasons  which  lead  me  to  believe 
that  there  is  such  an  allusion,  are 
briefly  these.  (1.)  The  connexion. 
The  apostle  is  appealing  to  the  exam- 
ple of  the  Saviour,  and  urging  Chris- 
tians to  persevere  amidst  their  trials 
by  looking  to  him.  Nothing  would 
be  more  natural  in  this  connexion, 
than  to  refer  to  that  dark  night, 
when  in  the  severest  conflict  with 
temptation  which  he  ever  encoun- 
tered, he  so  signally  showed  his 
own  firmness  of  purpose,  and  the 
effects  of  resistance  on  his  own  bleed- 
ing body,  and  his  signal  victory — in 
the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  (2.)  The 
expression  '  striving  against  sin' 
seems  to  demand  the  same  interpre- 
tation. On  the  common  interpreta- 
tion, the  allusion  would  be  merely  to 
their  resisting  persecution;  but  here 
the  allusion  is  to  some  struggle  in 
their  minds  against  committing  sin. 
The  apostle  exhorts  them  to  strive 
manfully  and  persevering ly  against 
sin  in  every  form,  and  especially 
against  the  sin  of  apostasy.  To  en- 
courage them  he  refers  them  to  the 
highest  instance  on  record  where  there 
was  a  '  striving  against  sin'  —  the 
struggle  of  the  Redeemer  in  the  gar- 
den with  the  great  enemy  who  there 
made  his  most  violent  assault,  and 
where  the  resistance  of  the  Redeemer 
was  so  great  as  to  force  the  blood 
through  his  pores.  What  wds  the 
exact  form  of  the  temptation  there, 
we  are  not  informed.  It  7nay  have 
been  to  induce  him  to  abandon  his 
work  even  then  and  to  yield,  in  view 
of  the   severe   sufferings   of  his  ap. 


302 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


5  And  ye  have  forgotten  the 
exhortation  »  which  speaketh 
unto  you  as  unlo  children,  My 

a  Pr.  3.  11,  13. 

proacliing  death  on  tlie  cross.  If 
tliere  ever  was  a  point  wlierc  tempta- 
tion would  be  powerful,  it  would  be 
there.  Wlieii  a  man  is  about  to  be 
put  to  death,  how  strong  is  the  in- 
ducement to  abandon  his  purpose,  his 
plans,  or  liis  principles,  if  he  may 
save  his  life  !  How  many,  of  feeble 
virtue,  iiave  yielded  just  there  !  If  to 
this  consideration  we  add  the  thought 
tiiat  the  Redeemer  was  engaged  in  a 
work  never  before  undertaken ;  that 
he  designed  to  make  an  atonement 
never  before  made ;  that  he  was  about 
to  endure  sorrows  never  before  endur- 
ed ;  and  that  on  the  decision  of  that 
moment  depended  the  ascendency  of 
sin  or  holiness  on  the  earth,  the  tri- 
umph or  the  fall  of  Satan's  kingdom, 
the  success  or  the  defeat  of  all  the 
plans  of  the  great  adversary  of  God 
and  man,  and  that,  on  such  an  occa- 
sion as  this,  the  tempter  would  use 
all  his  power  to  crush  the  lonely  and 
unprotected  man  of  sorrows  in  the 
garden  of  Gethsemane,  it  is  easy  to 
imagine  what  may  have  been  the  ter- 
ror of  that  fearful  conflict,  and  what 
virtue  it  would  require  in  him  to  re- 
sist  the  concentrated  energy  of  Satan's 
might  to  induce  him  even  then  to 
abandon  his  work.  The  apostle  says 
of  those  to  whom  he  wrote,  that  they 
had  not  yet  reached  that  point.  Comp. 
Notes  on  ch.  v.  7.  (3.)  This  view 
furnishes  a  proper  climax  to  the  ar- 
gument of  the  apostle  for  persever- 
ance. It  presents  the  Redeemer  be- 
fore the  mind  as  the  great  example ; 
directs  the  mind  to  him  in  various 
scenes  of  his  lilc — as  looking  to  the 
joy  before  him  —  disregarding  the 
ignominy  of  his  sufferings — enduring 
the  opposition  of  sinners  —  and  then 
in  the  garden  as  engaged  in  a  con- 
flict with  his  great  foe,  and  so  resist- 
ing sin  that  rather  than  yield  he  en- 
dured that  fearful  mental  struggle 
which  was   attended  with  such   re- 


son,  despise  not  thou  the  chas- 
tening of  the  Lord,  nor  faint 
when  thou  art  rebuked  of  him  : 


markable  consequences.  This  is  the 
highest  consideration  which  could  be 
presented  to  the  mind  of  a  believer  to 
keep  him  from  yielding  in  the  con- 
flict with  evil ;  and  if  we  could  keep 
him  in  the  eye  resisting  even  unto 
blood  rather  than  yield  in  the  least 
degree,  it  would  do  more  than  all 
other  tilings  to  restrain  us  from  sin. 
How  different  his  case  from  ours! 
How  readily  we  yield  to  sin !  We 
offer  a  faint  and  feeble  resistance,  and 
then  surrender.  We  think  it  will  be 
unknown ;  or  that  others  do  it ;  or 
that  we  may  repent  of  it ;  or  that  we 
have  no  power  to  resist  it ;  or  that  it 
is  of  little  consequence,  and  our  reso- 
lution gives  way.  Not  so  the  Re- 
deemer. Rather  than  yield  in  any 
form  to  sin,  he  measured  strength 
with  the  great  adversary  when  alone 
with  him  in  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
and  gloriously  triumphed  !  And  so 
would  we  always  triumph  if  we  had 
the  same  settled  purpose  to  resist  sin 
in  every  form  even  unto  blood. 

5.  And  ye  have  forgotten  the.  exhor- 
tation. This  exhortation  is  found  in 
Prov.  iii.  II,  12.  The  object  of  the 
apostle  in  introducing  it  here  is,  to 
show  that  afflictions  were  designed  on 
the  part  of  God  to  produce  some  hap- 
py effects  in  the  lives  of  his  people, 
and  that  they  ought,  therefore,  to  bear 
them  patiently.  In  the  previous 
verses,  he  directs  them  to  the  exam- 
pie  of  the  Saviour.  In  this  verse  and 
the  following,  for  tlie  same  object  he 
directs  their  attention  to  the  design 
of  trials,  sliowing  that  they  are  ne- 
cessary to  our  welfare,  and  that  they 
are  in  fact  proof  of  the  paternal  care 
of  God.  This  verse  might  be  render- 
ed as  a  question.  '  And  have  ye  for- 
gotten ?'<kc.  Tliis  mode  of  render- 
ing it  will  agree  somewhat  better  with 
tlie  design  of  the  apostle.  IT  Which 
speaketh  unto  you.  Which  may  be 
regarded   as   addressed    to   you ;    or 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


303 


6  For  "  whom  the  Lord  lov- 
eth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourg- 

a  Re.  3.  19. 

which  invokes  a  principle  as  applica- 
ble to  you  as  to  others.  He  does  not 
mean  that  when  Solomon  used  the 
words,  he  had  reference  to  them  par- 
ticularly, but  that  he  used  them  with 
reference  to  the  children  of  God,  and 
they  might  therefore  be  applied  to 
them.  In  this  way  we  may  regard 
the  language  of  the  Scriptures  as  ad- 
dressed to  us.  IT  As  unto  children. 
As  if  he  were  addressing  children. 
The  language  is  such  as  a  father  uses. 
IT  My  son.  It  is  possible  that  in  these 
■words  Solomon  may  have  intended  to 
address  a  son  literally,  giving  him 
paternal  counsel ;  or  he  may  have  spo- 
ken as  the  Head  of  tiie  Jewish  peo- 
ple, designing  to  address  all  the  pious, 
to  whom  he  sustained,  as  it  were,  tlie 
relation  of  a  father.  Or  it  is  possi- 
ble also  that  it  may  be  regarded  as 
the  language  of  God  himself  address- 
ing his  children.  Whichever  suppo- 
sition is  adopted,  the  sense  is  substan- 
tially the  same.  If  Despise  not  thou 
the  chastening  of  the  Lord.  Literally, 
'  Do  not  regard  it  as  a  small  matter, 
or  as  a  trivial  thing, — dXiyoJpci.  The 
Greek  word  here  used  does  not  occur 
elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament. 
The  word  here  rendered  chastening — 
'Trai&ua — and  also  in  vs.  6,  7,  8,  and  in 
ver.  9,  '  corrected'  —  TtaiScvras  —  does 
not  refer  to  affliction  in  general,  but 
that  kind  of  affliction  which  is  de- 
signed to  correct  us  for  our  faults,  or 
which  is  of  the  nature  of  discipline. 
The  verb  properly  relates  to  the  train- 
ing up  of  a  child — including  instruc- 
tion, counsel,  discipline,  and  correc- 
tion (see  this  use  of  the  verb  in  Acts 
vii.  22 ;  II.  Tim.  ii.  25  ;  Titus  ii.  12), 
and  then  especially  discipline,  or  cor- 
rection for  faults — to  correct,  chastise, 
chasten.  I.  Cor.  xi.  32 ;  II.  Cor.  vi. 
9  ;  Rev.  iii.  19.  Tliis  is  the  meaning 
•here;  and  tlic  idea  is,  not  that  God 
will  afflict  his  people  in  general,  but 
that  if  they  wander  away  he  will  cor- 
rect them  for  their  faults.  He  will 
Jjring  calamity  upon  them  as  a  piin- 


eth  every  son  whom  he  receiv- 
eth. 


ishment  for  their  offences,  and  in  or- 
der  to  bring  them  back  to  himself. 
He  will  not  suffer  them  to  wander 
away  unrebuked  and  unchecked,  but 
will  mercifully  reclaim  them  though 
by  great  sufferings.  Afflictions  have 
many  objects,  or  produce  many  happy 
effects.  That  referred  to  here  is,  that 
they  are  means  of  reclaiming  the 
wandering  and  erring  children  of 
God,  and  are  proofs  of  his  paternal 
care  and  love.  Comp.  II,  Sam.  vii. 
14;  xii.  13,  14;  Ps.  Ixxxix.  31—34; 
Prov.  iii.  11,  12.  Afflictions,  which 
are  always  sent  by  God,  should  not 
be  regarded  as  small  matters,  for  these 
reasons.  (1.)  The  fact  that  they  are 
sent  by  God.  Whatever  he  does  is 
of  importance,  and  is  worthy  the  pro- 
found  attention  of  men.  (2.)  They 
are  sent  for  some  important  purpose, 
and  they  should  be  regarded,  there- 
fore, with  attentive  concern.  Men 
despise  them  when  (1)  they  treat  them 
with  affected  or  real  unconcern ;  (2) 
when  they  fail  to  receive  them  as  di- 
vine  admonitions,  and  regard  them  as 
without  any  intelligent  design  ;  and 
(3)  when  they  receive  them  with  ex. 
pressions  of  contempt,  and  speak  of 
them  and  of  the  government  of  God 
with  scorn.  It  should  be  a  matter  of 
deep  concern  when  we  are  afflicted 
in  any  manner,  not  to  treat  the  mat- 
ter lightly,  but  to  derive  from  our  tri- 
als all  the  lessons  which  they  are 
adapted  to  produce  on  the  mind. 
If  Nor  faint,  &c.  .  Bear  up  patiently 
under  them.  This  is  the  second  duty. 
We  are  first  to  study  their  character 
and  design ;  and  secondly,  to  bear  up 
under  them,  however  severe  they  may 
be,  and  however  long  they  may  be 
continued.  "  Avoid  the  extremes  of 
proud  insensibility  and  entire  dejec. 
tion.''     Doddridge. 

6.  For  whom  the  Lord  loveth  he 
chasteneth.  This  is  also  a  quotation 
from  Proverbs  iii.  It  means  that  it 
is  a  universal  rule  that  God  sends  tri- 
als on  those  whom  he  truly  loves.    It 


304 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


7  If  ye  endure  chastening, 
God  dealeth  with  you  as  with 
sons  ;  for"  what  son  is  he  whom 
the  lather  chasteneth  not? 


a  Pr.  13.  24. 


8  But  if  ye  be  without  chas- 
tisement, whereof  ail  are  par- 
takers, then  are  ye  bastards, 
and  not  sons. 


does  not,  of  course,  mean  that  lie 
sends  chastisement  which  is  not  de- 
served ;  or  that  lie  sends  it  for  the 
inere  purpose  of  inflicting  pain.  Tliat 
cannot  be.  But  it  means  that  by  his 
chastisements  he  shows  tiiat  he  has 
a  paternal  care  for  us.  He  does  not 
treat  us  with  neglect  and  unconcern, 
as  a  father  often  does  his  illegitimate 
child.  The  very  fact  that  he  corrects 
us  shows  that  he  has  towards  us  a 
father's  feelings,  and  exercises  to- 
wards us  a  paternal  care.  If  he  did 
not,  he  would  let  us  go  on  without 
any  attention,  and  leave  us  to  pursue 
a  course  of  sin  that  would  involve  us 
in  ruin.  To  restrain  and  govern  a 
child  ;  to  correct  him  when  he  errs, 
shows  that  there  is  a  parental  solici- 
tude for  him,  and  that  he  is  not  an 
outcast.  And  as  there  is  in  the  life 
of  every  child  of  God  something  that 
deserves  correction,  it  happens  that  it 
is  universally  true  that  '  whom  the 
Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth.'  ^  And 
scourgelh  every  son  whom  he  receiveth. 
Whom  he  receives  or  acknowledges 
as  his  child.  This  is  not  quoted  lite- 
rally from  the  Hebrew,  but  from  the 
Septuagint.  The  Hebrew  is,  'even 
as  a  father  the  son  in  whom  he  de- 
lighteth.'  The  general  sense  of  the 
passage  is  retained,  as  is  often  the 
case  in  the  quotations  from  the  Old 
Testament.  The  meaning  is  the 
same  as  in  the  former  part  of  the 
verse,  that  every  one  who  becomes  a 
child  of  God  is  treated  by  him  with 
that  watchful  care  which  shows  that 
he  sustains  towards  him  the  paternal 
relation. 

7.  If  ye  endure  chastening.  That 
is,  if  you  undergo,  or  arc  called  to 
experience  correction.  It  docs  not 
mean  here,  '  if  you  endure  it  i):iticnt- 
ly  ;  or  if  you  bear  up  under  it ;'  but, 
*  if  you  are  chastised  or  corrected  by 
God.'     The  affirmation  does  not  re- 


late to  the  manner  of  bearing  it,  but 
to  the  fact  that  we  are  disciplined. 
TT  God  dealeth  with  you  as  with  sons. 
He  does  not  cast  you  off  and  regard 
you  as  if  you  were  in  no  way  related 
to  him.  IT  For  what  son  is  he  whom 
the  father  chasteneth  not.  That  is,  ho 
evinces  towards  his  son  the  care  wliich 
shows  that  he  sustains  the  relation  of 
a  father.  If  he  deserves  correction 
he  corrects  him ;  and  he  aims  by  all 
proper  means  to  exhibit  the  appropri- 
ate care  and  character  of  a  father. 
And  as  we  receive  such  attention  from 
an  earthly  parent,  we  ought  to  expect 
to  receive  similar  notice  from  our  Fa- 
ther  in  heaven. 

8.  But  if  ye  be  without  chastisement. 
If  you  never  meet  with  anything  that 
is  adapted  to  .correct  your  faults;  to 
subdue  your  temper;  to  chide  your 
wanderings,  it  would  prove  that  you 
were  in  the  condition  of  illegitimate 
children — cast  otF  and  disregarded  by 
their  father.  U  Whereof  all  are  par- 
takers. All  who  are  the  true  children 
of  God.  If  Then  are  ye  bastards  and 
not  sons.  The  reference  here  is  to 
the  neglect  with  which  such  childrea 
are  treated,  and  to  the  general  want 
of  care  and  discipline  over  them  : 

"  Lost  in  the  world's  wide  range  ;  enjoin'd 
no  aim, 
Prescrib'd    no    duty,    and    as3ign'd    no 
name."  Savage. 

In  the  English  law,  a  bastard  is  termed 
nullius  ^filius.  Illegitimate  children 
are  usually  abandoned  by  their  father. 
The  care  of  them  is  left  to  the  mother, 
and  the  father  endeavours  to  avoid  all 
responsibility,  and  usually  to  be  con- 
cealed and  unknown.  His  own  child  he 
does  not  wish  to  recognize  ;  lie  neither 
provides  for  him;  nor  instructs  him; 
nor  governs  him  ;  nor  disciplines  him. 
A  father,  who  is  worthy  of  the  name, 
will  do  all  these  things.  So  Paul  says 
it  is  with  Christians.     God  ha.s  not 


A.  D.  (54.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


305 


9  Furthermore,  we  have  had 
fathers  of  our  flesh,  which  cor- 
rected us :   and  we  gave  them 


cast  them  oiF.  In  every  way  he 
evinces  towards  them  the  character 
of  a  father.  And  if  it  should  be 
that  they  passed  along  through  life 
without  any  occurrence  that  v/ould 
indicate  the  paternal  care  and  atten- 
tion designed  to  correct  their  faults, 
it  would  show  that  they  never  had 
been  his  children,  but  were  cast  off 
and  wholly  disregarded.  This  is  a 
beautiful  argument ;  and  we  should 
receive  every  affliction  as  full  proof 
that  we  are  not  forgotten  by  the  High 
and  Holy  One  who  condescends  to 
sustain  to  us  the  character,  and  to 
evince  towards  us,  in  our  wanderings, 
the  watchful  care  of  a  Father. 

9.  Furthermore.  As  an  additional 
consideration  to  induce  us  to  receive 
chastisement  with  submission.  The 
argument  in  this  verse  is  derived  from 
the  difference  in  the  spirit  and  design 
with  which  we  are  corrected  by  God 
and  by  an  earthly  parent.  In  God 
everything  is  without  any  intermin- 
gling of  passion  or  any  improper  feel- 
ing. In  an  earthly  parent  there  is 
often  much  that  is  the  result  of  hasty 
emotion,  of  an  irascible  temper,  per- 
haps of  the  mere  love  of  power.  There 
is  much  that  is  inflicted  without  due 
reflection,  and  that  produces  only  pain 
in  the  bosom  of  the  parent  himself  in 
the  recollection.  Yet  with  all  this 
imperfection  of  parental  government, 
we  were  patient  and  unmurmuring. 
How  much  more  should  we  submit 
to  one  whose  paternal  discipline  is 
caused  by  no  excited  feeling ;  by  no 
love  of  power ;  by  no  want  of  reliec- 
tion,  and  which  never  furnishes  occa- 
sion for  regret !  IT  Fathers  of  our 
Jlesh.  Earthly  fathers ;  those  from 
whom  we  have  derived  our  being  here. 
They  are  contrasted  here  with  God, 
who  is  called  '  the  Father  of  spirits,' 
not  because  the  father  does  not  sus- 
tain the  paternal  relation  to  the  soul 
as  well  as  the  body,  but  to  designate 
26* 


reverence :  shall  we  not  much 
rather  be  in  subjection  unto  the 
Father  "of  spirits,  and  live? 

a  Nu.  16.  22  ;  27.  IC. 


the  nature  of  the  dominion  over  us. 
The  dominion  of  God  is  that  which 
pertains  to  a  spiritual  kingdom,  hav- 
ing more  direct  reference  to  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  soul,  and  being  designed 
to  prepare  us  for  the  spiritual  world ; 
that  of  the  earthly  father  pertains 
primarily  to  our  condition  here,  and 
the  discipline  is  designed  to  subdue 
our  unruly  passions,  to  teach  us  to 
restrain  our  appetites,  to  inculcate 
maxims  of  health  and  prosperity,  and 
to  prevent  those  things  which  would 
impede  our  happiness  in  the  present 
world.  See,  however,  many  curious 
instances  of  the  manner  in  which 
these  phrases  were  used  by  the  Jew- 
ish writers,  collected  by  Wetstein. 
IT  We  gave  them  reverence.  We  sub- 
mitted to  them ;  honoured  them  ; 
loved  them.  Painful  at  the  time  as 
correction  may  have  been,  yet  when 
we  have  fully  understood  the  design 
of  it,  we  have  loved  them  the  more. 
The  effect  of  such  discipline,  properly 
administered,  is  to  produce  real  vene- 
ration for  a  parent — for  he  who  in  a 
timely  and  appropriate  manner  re- 
strains liis  child  is  the  only  one  who 
will  secure  ultimate  reverence  and 
respect.  If  Shall  loe  not  much  rathei 
be  in  subjection.  Since  God's  govern- 
ment is  so  much  more  perfect ;  since 
he  has  so  much  better  right  to  con- 
trol  us  ;  and  since  his  administration 
is  free  from  all  the  defects  which  at- 
tend parental  discipline  on  earth, 
there  is  a  much  higher  reason  for 
bowing  with  submission  and  reve- 
rence to  hin(.  IT  The  Father  of  spirits. 
Thus  in  Numbers  xvi.  22,  God  is 
called  "the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all 
flesh."  So  also  Num.  xxvii.  16;  comp. 
Job  xxxiii.  4.  The  idea  seems  to  be 
that,  as  the  soul  is  the  most  important 
part  of  man,  this  name  is  given  to 
God  by  way  of  eminence,  or  he  is 
eminently  and  supremely  our  Father 
It  was   his  to  create    the   inunortal 


30C 


HKBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


10  For  they  verily  for  a  few 
days  chastened  us  '  after  their 

'  or,  as  seemed  good,  or,  meet,  lo  them. 


part,  and  to  tliat  spirit  which  is  never 
lo  die  he  sustains  the  relation  of  Fa- 
ther. The  eartlily  father  is  parent  to 
the  man  as  mortal ;  God  is  the  Father 
of  man  as  inunortal.  God  is  himself 
a  spirit.  Angels  and  human  souls 
therefore,  may  be  represented  as  pe- 
culiarly his  offspring.  .  It  is  the 
highest  designation  which  could  be 
given  to  God  to  say  that  he  is  at  the 
head  of  the  universe  of  mind;  not 
implying  that  he  is  not  also  at  the 
head  of  the  material  universe,  but  de- 
signing to  bring  into  view  this  high 
characteristic  of  the  Almighty,  that 
all  created  minds  throughout  the  uni- 
verse sustain  to  him  the  relation  of 
children.  To  this  Great  Being  we 
should,  therefore,  more  cheerfully  sub- 
ject ourselves  than  to  an  earthly  pa- 
rent. TT  Aiid  live.  Meaning  that  his 
fatherly  chastisements  are  adapted  to 
secure  our  spiritual  life.  He  corrects 
us  that  he  may  promote  our  final 
happiness,  and  liis  inflictions  are  the 
means  of  saving  us  from  eternal 
death. 

10.  For  they  verily  for  a  few  days. 
That  is,  with  reference  to  a  few  days 
(Tp^s) ;  or  it  was  a  chastisement  that 
had  reference  mainly  to  this  short 
life.  The  apostle  seems  to  bring  in 
this  circumstance  to  contrast  the  deal- 
ings of  earthly  parents  with  those  of 
God.  One  of  the  circumstances  is, 
that  the  corrections  of  earthly  parents 
had  a  much  less  important  object 
than  those  of  God.  They  related  to  this 
life — a  life  so  brief  that  it  may  be  said 
to  continue  but  a  '  few  days.'  Yet, 
in  order  to  secure  the  benefit  to  be 
derived  for  so  short  a  period  from  fa- 
therly correction,  we  subjnittcd  with- 
out murmuring.  Much  more  checr- 
i'ully  ought  we  to  submit  to  tliat  dis- 
cipline from  tiie  liandof  our  heavenly 
Fatlicr  which  is  designed  to  extend 
its  benefits  through  eternity.  This 
seems  to  me  to  afl'ord  a  better  sense 
than  that  adopted  by  Prof.  Stuart  and 
others,   that   it    means    '  during    our 


own  pleasure  :  but  he  for  our 
profit,  that  we  might  be  partak- 
ers of  his  holiness. 

childhood  or  minority ;'  or  than  that 
proposed  by  Doddridge,  that  it  refers 
bolli  to  our  earthly  parents  and  to  our 
heavenly  Father.  IT  After  their  own 
pleasure.  Marg.  '  as  seemed  good,  or 
incct  to  them.'  .Meaning  that  it  was 
sometimes  done  arbitrarily,  or  from 
caprice,  or  under  the  influence  of  pas- 
sion.  This  is  an  additional  reason 
why  we  should  submit  to  God.  We 
submitted  to  our  earthly  parents, 
though  their  correction  was  some- 
times passionate,  and  was  designed 
to  gratify  their  own  pleasure  rather 
than  to  promote  our  good.  There  is 
much  of  this  kind  of  punishment  in 
families  ;  but  there  is  none  of  it  under 
the  administration  of  God.  ^  But  be 
for  our  profit.  Never  from  passion, 
from  caprice,  from  the  love  of  power 
or  superiorit}',  but  always  for  our 
good.  The  exact  benefit  which  he 
designs  to  produce  we  may  not  be 
able  always  to  understand,  but  we 
may  be  assured  that  no  other  cause 
influences  him  than  a  desire  to  pro- 
mote our  real  welfare,  and  as  he  can 
never  be  mistaken  in  regard  to  the 
proper  means  to  secure  that,  we  may 
be  assured  that  our  trials  arc  always 
adapted  to  that  end.  If  That  we  inighl 
be  partakers  of  his  holiness.  Become 
so  holy  that  it  may  be  said  that  we 
are  partakers  of  tlie  very  holiness  of 
God.  Comp.  II.  Pet.  i.  4.  This  is  tlie 
elevated  object  at  which  God  aims  by 
our  trials.  It  is  not  tliat  he  deligJils 
to  produce  pain  ;  not  that  he  envies 
us  and  would  rob  us  of  our  little  com- 
forts ;  not  that  he  needs  what  we 
prize  to  increase  his  own  enjoyment, 
and  therefore  rudely  takes  it  away; 
and  not  that  he  acts  from  caprice — 
now  conferring  a  blessing  and  then 
withdrawing  it  without  auy  reason  : 
it  i.s,  that  he  may  make  us  more  pure 
and  holy,  and  thus  promote  our  own 
best  interest.  To  be  holy  as  God  is 
holy ;  to  be  so  lioly  that  it  maj'  l»e 
I  said  that  we  'are  partakers  of  his 
J  holiness,'  ia  a  richer   blessing  than 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


307 


11  Now  no  chastening  for 
the  present  seemeth  to  be  joy- 
ous, but  grievous ;  neverthe- 
less, afterward  it  yieldeth   the 

als.  ;K2.  17;  Ja.  3.  18. 

health,  and  property,  and  friends  with- 
out it ;  and  when  by  the  exchange  of 
the  one  we  acquire  the  other,  we  have 
secured  infinitely  more  than  we  have 
lost.  To  obtain  the  greater  good  we 
should  be  willing  to  part  with  the 
less  ;  to  secure  the  everlasting  friend- 
ship and  favour  of  God  we  should  be 
willing,  if  necessary,  to  surrender  the 
last  farthing  of  our  property  ;  the  last 
friend  that  is  left  us ;  the  last  feeble 
and  fluttering  pulsation  of  life  in  our 
veins. 

II.  Now  no  chastening  for  the  pre- 
sent seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous. 
It  docs  not  impart  pleasure,  nor  is 
this  its  design.  All  chastisement  is 
intended  to  produce  pain,  and  the 
Christian  is  as  sensitive  to  pain  as 
others.  His  religion  does  not  blunt 
his  sensibilities  and  make  him  a  stoic, 
but  it  rather  increases  his  susceptibi- 
lity to  suffering.  The  Lord  Jesus, 
probably,  felt  pain,  reproach,  and  con- 
tempt more  keenly  than  any  other 
human  being  ever  did  ;  and  the  Chris- 
tian feels  the  loss  of  a  child,  or  bodily 
suffering,  as  keenly  as  any  one.  But 
while  religion  does  not  render  him 
insensible  to  suffering,  it  does  two 
things — (1)  it  enables  him  to  bear  the 
pain  without  murmuring ;  and  (2)  it 
turns  the  affliction  into  a  blessing  on 
his  soul.  ^  Nevertheless  afterward. 
In  future  life.  The  effect  is  seen  in 
a  pure  life,  and  in  a  more  entire  dc- 
votedness  to  God.  We  are  not  to 
look  for  the  proper  fruits  of  affliction 
while  we  are  suffering,  but  afterwards. 
IT  /(  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of 
righteousness.  It  is  a  tree  that  bears 
good  fruit,  and  we  do  not  expect  the 
fruit  to  form  and  ripen  at  once.  It 
may  be  long  maturing,  but  it  will  be 
rich  and  mellow  when  it  is  ripe.  It 
frequently  requires  along  time  before 
all  the  results  of  affliction  appear — as 
it  requires  months  to  form  and  ripeix 


peaceable  fruit  «  of  -righteous- 
ness unto  them  whicli  are  exer- 
cised thereby. 

12  Wherefore    lift  *  up  the 

b  Is.  35.  3. 

fruit.  Like  fruit  it  may  appear  at 
first  sour,  crabbed,  and  unpalatable ; 
but  it  will  be  at  last  like  the  ruddy 
peach  or  the  golden  orange.  When 
those  fruits  are  ripened  they  are  (1) 
fruits  '  of  righteousness.'  They  make 
us  more  holy,  more  dead  to  sin  and 
the  world,  and  more  alive  to  God. 
And  they  are  (2)  ^peaceable.'  They 
produce  peace,  calmness,  submission 
in  the  soul.  They  make  the  heart 
more  tranquil  in  its  confidence  in 
God,  and  more  disposed  to  promote 
the  religion  of  peace.  The  apostle 
speaks  of  this  as  if  it  were  a  universal 
truth  in  regard  to  Christians  who  are 
afflicted.  And  it  is  so.  There  is  no 
Christian  who  is  not  ultimately  bene- 
fited by  trials,  and  who  is  not  able  at 
some  peaod  subsequently  to  say,  "  It 
was  good  for  me  that  I  was  afflicted. 
Before  I  was  afflicted  I  went  astray ; 
but  now  have  I  kept  tliy  word." 
When  a  Christian  comes  to  die,  he 
does  not  feel  that  he  has  had  one  trial 
too  many,  or  one  which  he  did  not 
deserve.  He  can  then  look  back  and 
see  the  effect  of  some  early  trial  so 
severe  that  he  once  thought  he  could 
hardly  endure  it,  spreading  a  hallowed 
influence  over  iiis  future  years,  and 
scattering  its  golden  fruit  all  along 
the  pathway  of  life.  I  have  never 
known  a  Christian  who  was  not  bene- 
fited by  afflictions  ;  I  have  seen  none 
who  was  not  able  to  say  that  his 
trials  produced  some  happy  effect  on 
his  religious  character  and  on  hia 
real  happiness  in  life.  If  this  be  so, 
tlien  no  matter  how  severe  our  trials, 
we  should  submit  to  them  without  a 
murmur.  The  more  severe  they  are, 
the  more  we  shall  yet  be  blessed — on 
earth  or  in  heaven. 

12.  Wherefore.  In  view  of  the 
facts  which  liave  been  now  stated — ■ 
that  afflictions  are  sent  from  God, 
and   are   evidences  of  his   paternal 


308 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  C4. 


hands  which   hang   down,  and  I  which  is  lame  be  turned  out  of 
the  feeble  linees:  I  the  way  ;  but  '  let  it  rather  be 


13    And    make    '  straight  " 
paths  for   your   feet,  lest    that 


1  or,  even. 


a  Pr.  4.  26,  27. 


watclil'ulness. 


which  hang  down 


IT  Lift  up  the  hands 
As  if  from  weari- 
ness and  exhaustion.  Renew  your 
courage ;  make  a  new  effort  to  bear 
llicm.  Tlie  iiands  fall  by  the  side 
when  we  arc  exhausted  with  toil,  or 
worn  down  by  disease.  See  Notes  on 
Isa.  XXXV.  3,  from  which  place  this 
cxliortation  is  taken.  IT  And  the  feeble 
knees.  The  knees  also  become  en- 
feebled by  long-  effort,  and  tremble  as 
if  their  strength  were  gone.  Courage 
and  resolution  may  do  much,  how- 
ever, to  make  them  firm,  and  it  is  to 
tills  that  the  apostle  exhorts  those  to 
whom  he  wrote.  They  were  to  make 
every  effort  to  bear  up  under  their 
trials.  The  hope  of  victory  will  do 
much  to  strengtiien  one  almost  ex- 
liausted  in  battle;  tlie  desire  to  reach 
home  invigorates  the  frame  of  the 
weary  traveller.  So  it  is  with  the 
Ciiristian.  In  persecution  and  sick- 
ness and  bereavement,  he  may  be 
ready  to  sink  under  his  burdens. 
The  hands  fall,  and  the  knees  trem- 
ble, and  the  heart  sinks  within  us. 
But  confidence  in  God,  and  the  hope 
of  heaven,  and  the  assurance  that  all 
this  is  for  our  good,  will  reinvigorate 
the  enfeebled  frame,  and  enable  us  to 
bear  what  we  once  supposed  would 
crush  us  to  the  dust.  A  courageous 
mind  braces  a  feeble  body,  and  hope 
makes  it  fresh  for  new  conflicts. 

13.  And  make  straight  paths  for 
your  feet.  Marg.  even.  The  word 
here  used  means  properly  straight, 
in  the  sense  of  upright,  erect.  Acts 
xiv.  10  ;  but  it  is  here  used  in  the  sense 
of  straight  horizontally,  that  is,  level, 
plain,  smooth.  The  meaning  is,  that 
they  were  to  remove  all  obstacles  out 
of  the  way,  so  that  they  need  not 
stumble  and  fall.  There  is  probably 
an  allusion  here  to  Frov.  iv.  25 — 27. 
"  Let  thine  eyes  look  right  on,  and 
let  tlime  eyelids  look  straight  before 


healed. 
14  Follow 

6  Ga.  6.  1. 


peace  '  with  all 


c  Ps.  34.  ;4. 


thee.     Ponder  the   path  of  thy  feet, 
and  let  all  thy  ways  be  established. 
Turn  not  to  the   right  hand  nor  to 
tlie  left;  remove  thy  foot  from  evil." 
The  idea  is,  that    by    every   proper 
means,  they  were  to  make  the  way 
to  heaven  as  plain  and  easy  as  possi- 
ble.    They  were  to  allow  no  obstruc- 
tions in  the  path  over  which  the  lame 
and  feeble    migiit  fall,     li   Lest  lliat 
which  is  lame  he  turned  out  of  the  way. 
A  lame  man  needs  a  smooth  path  to 
walk  in.  The  idea  is  here,  that  every- 
thing which  would  prevent  those  in 
the  church  who  were  in  any  danger 
of  falling — the  feeble,  the  unestablish- 
edj  the  weak — from  walking  in  the 
path  to  heaven,  or  which  might  be  an 
occasion  to  them  of  falling,  should  be 
removed.     Or  it  may  mean,  that  in  a 
road  that  was  not  level,  those  who 
were   lame  would  be    in    danger  of 
spraining,  distorting,  or  wrenching  a 
lame  limb;  and  the  counsel  is,  that 
whatever  would  have  a  tendency  to 
this  should  be  removed.     Divested  of 
the  figure,  the  passage  means,  that 
everything  should  be  removed  which 
would  hinder  any  one  from  walking 
in  the  path  to  life.     ^  But  let  it  rather 
be  healed.     As  in  the  ease  of  iamC' 
ness,  pains  should  be  taken  to  heal  it 
rather  than  to  suffer  it  to  be  increased 
by  careless  exposure  to  a  new  sprain 
or  fracture,  so  it  should  be  in  our  re- 
ligious and  moral  character.     What- 
ever is  defective  we  should  endeavour 
to  restore  to  soundness,  rather  than 
to  suffer  the  defect  to  be  increased. 
Whatever  is  feeble   in    our    faith  or 
hope ;  whatever  evil  tendency  there 
is  in  our  hearts,  we  should  endeavour 
to    strengthen    and    amend,    lest    it 
sliould  become  worse  and  we  should 
entirely  fall. 

1 4.  Follow  peace  with  all  men.  Do 
not  give  indulgence  to  those  passions 
which  lead  to  litigations,  strifes,  wars. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


309 


men,  and  holiness,  without  " 
which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord  : 

15  Looking  diligently  *  lest 

a  Mat.  5.8;  Ep.  5.5.         6  2  Pe.  1.  10. 

See  Notes  on  Rom.  xiv.  19.  The  con- 
ne.xion  here  requires  us  to  understand 
this  mainly  of  persecutors.  The 
apostle  is  referring  to  the  trials  which 
those  whom  he  addressed  were  ex- 
periencing. Those  trials  seem  to 
have  arisen  mainly  from  persecution, 
and  he  exhorts  them  to  manifest  a 
spirit  of  kindness  towards  all — even 
though  they  were  engaged  in  perse- 
cuting them.  This  is  the  temper  of 
tlie  gospel.  We  are  to  make  war 
with  sin,  but  not  with  men  ;  with  bad 
passions  and  corrupt  desires,  but  not 
with  our  fellow-worms.  IT  And  holi- 
ness. Instead  of  yielding  to  contend- 
ing passions  and  to  a  spirit  of  war  ; 
instead  of  seeking  revenge  on  your 
persecutors  and  foes,  make  it  rather 
your  aim  to  be  holy.  Let  that  be  tlie 
object  of  your  pursuit;  the  great  pur- 
pose of  your  life.  Men  might  in  such 
cases  counsel  them  to  seek  revenge ; 
the  spirit  of  religion  would  counsel 
them  to  strive  to  be  holy.  In  such 
times  they  were  in  great  danger  of 
giving  indulgence  to  evil  passions, 
and  hence  the  special  propriety  of  tlie 
exhortation  to  endeavour  to  be  holy. 
IT  Without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord.  That  is,  shall  see  him  in  peace ; 
or  shall  so  see  him  as  to  dwell  with 
him.  All  will  see  him  in  the  day  of 
judgment,  but  to  '  see'  one  is  often 
used  in  the  sense  of  being  with  one ; 
dwelling  with  one ;  enjoying  one. 
See  Notes  on  Matt.  v.  8.  The  prin- 
ciple here  stated  is  one  which  is  never 
departed  from.  Rev.  xxi.  27  ;  Isa. 
XXXV.  8;  lii.  1  ;  Ix.  21;  Joel  iii.  17; 
Matt.  xiii.  41 ;  I.  Cor.  vi.  9,  10.  No 
one  has  ever  been  admitted  to  heaven 
in  his  sins  ;  nor  is  it  desirable  that 
any  one  ever  should  be.  Desirable 
as  it  is  that  lost  men  should  be  happy, 
yet  it  is  benevolence  which  excludes 
the  profane,  the  impious,  and  the  un- 
believing from  heaven — just  as  it  is 


any  man  fail  '  of  the  grace  of 
God  ;  lest  any  '  root  of  bitter- 
ness springing  up  trouble  you, 
and  thereby  many  be  defiled  ; 

I  or,  fall  from.  c  Be.  29.  18. 


benevolence  to  a  family  to  exclude 
profligates  and  seducers,  and  as  it  is 
benevolence  to  a  community  to  con- 
fine thieves  and  robbers  in  prison. 
This  great  principle  in  the  divine  ad- 
ministration will  always  be  adhered 
to ;  and  hence  they  who  are  expect- 
ing to  be  saved  without  holiness  or 
religion,  are  destined  to  certain  dis- 
appointment. Heaven  and  earth  will 
pass  away,  but  God  will  not  admit 
one  unrepenting  and  unpardoned  sin. 
ner  to  heaven.  It  was  the  importance 
and  the  certainty  of  this  principle 
which  made  the  apostle  insist  on  it 
here  with  so  much  earnestnes.s. 
Amidst  all  their  trials ;  when  ex- 
posed to  persecution ;  and  when  every- 
thing might  tempt  them  to  the  indul- 
gence of  feelings  which  were  the 
opposite  of  holiness,  they  were  to 
make  it  their  great  object  to  be  like 
God.  For  this  they  were  to  seek,  to 
strive,  to  labour,  to  pray.  Tliis  with 
us  in  all  our  trials  should  also  be  the 
great  aim  of  life.  How  deeply  affect- 
ing then  is  the  inquiry  whether  we 
have  that  holiness  which  is  indispen- 
sable to  salvation  !  Let  us  not  deceive 
ourselves.  We  may  have  many  things 
else — many  things  which  are  in  them- 
selves desirable,  bnt  without  this  one 
thing  we  shall  never  see  the  Lord  in 
peace.  We  may  have  wealth,  genius, 
learning,  beauty,  accomplishments, 
houses,  lands,  books,  friends  —  but 
without  religion  they  will  be  all  in 
vain.  Never  can  we  see  God  in  peace 
without  a  holy  heart ;  never  can  we 
be  admitted  into  heaven  without  that 
religion  which  will  identify  us  with 
the  angels  around  the  throne ! 

15.  Looking  diligently.  This  phrase 
implies  close  attention.  It  is  implied 
that  there  are  reasons  why  we  should 
take  special  care.  Those  reasons  are 
found  in  the  propensities  of  our  hearts 
to   evil ;    in  the  temptations  of  the 


310 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64 


16  Lest  there  be  any  forni- 1  Esau,  who  *  for  one  nnorsel  of 
cator,  "  or    profane  person,  as   meat  sold  his  birth-right. 

a  1  Co.  6.  13,  18.  b  Ge.  25. 33. 


world  ;  in  the  allurements  to  apostasy 
presented  by  tlic  great  adversary  of 
our  souls.     ^  Lest  any  innnfail.     As 
every  man  is  in  danger,  it  is  his  per- 
sonal duty  to  see  to  it  that  his  salva- 
tion be  secure.     If   Fail  of  the  ^race 
of  God.    Marg.  fall  from.  Tlie  Greek 
is,  '  lest  any  one  be  wanlirifT  or  lack- 
ins;' — varepiav.  Tlicre  is  no  intimation 
in  the  words  used  here  that  tlicy  al- 
ready fiad  grace  and  niigkt  fall  away 
— whatever  might  be  true  about  that 
— but  that  there  was  danger  that  tlicy 
miglit  be  f  )und  at  last  to  be  deficient 
in  tliat  religion  which  was  necessary 
to  save  them.     Whether  this  was  to 
be  by  losing  the  religion  which  they 
now  had,  or  by  the  fact  tliat  tlicy  ne- 
ver had  any — however  near  they  may 
have  come  to  it  —  the   apostle    does 
not  here   intimate,  and  this  passage 
should  not  be  used  in  the  discussion 
of  the   question   about   falling    from 
grace.     It  is  a  proper  exhortation  to 
be    addressed    to    any    man    in   the 
church   or  out  of  it,  to  inquire  dili- 
gently whether  there  is  not  reason  to 
apprehend  that  when  he  comes  to  ap- 
pear before  God  he  will  be  found  to 
be  wholly   destitute   of  religion.      ^ 
Lest  any  root  of  bitterness  springing 
up.   Any  bitter  root.    There  is  doubt- 
less an  allusion  here  to  Deut.  xxix. 
18.     "  Lest  there  should  be    among 
you  man,  or  woman,    or  family,   or 
tribe,  whose  heart  turneth  away  this 
day  from   the  Lord   our   God,  to  go 
and  serve  the  gods  of  these  nations  ; 
/est  there  should  be  among  you  a  root 
that   bcareth    gall   and  wormwood." 
The  allusion   tliere  is  to  those  who 
were   idolators,  and  who  instead   of 
bearing  the   fruits  of  righteousness, 
and  promoting  the  piety  and  happi- 
ness  of  the    nation,  would  bear  the 
fruits  of  idolatry,  and  spread  abroad 
irrcligion  and  sin.     The  allusion,  in 
both  cases,  is  to  a  bitter  plant  spring- 
ing up  among  those  that  were  culti- 
vated for  ornament  or  use,  or  to  a 


tree  bearing  bitter  and  poisonous 
fruit,  among  those  that  produced 
good  fruit.  The  reference  of  tlie 
apostle  is  to  some  person  who  should 
produce  a  similar  effect  in  the  church 
— to  one  who  should  inculcate  false 
doctrines  ;  or  who  should  apostatize  ; 
or  who  should  lead  an  unholy  life, 
and  thus  be  the  means  of  corrupting 
and  destroying  others.  They  were 
to  be  at  especial  pains  that  no  such 
person  should  start  up  from  among 
themselves,  or  be  tolerated  by  them. 
IT  Trouble  you.  By  his  doctrines  and 
exam[)le.  H  And  thereby  many  be 
defiled.  Led  away  from  the  faith  and 
corrupted.  One  wicked  man,  and  es- 
pecially one  hypocrite  in  the  church, 
may  be  the  means  of  destroying  many 
others. 

16.  Lest  there  be  any  fornicator. 
The  sin  here  referred  to  is  one  of 
those  which  would  spread  corruption 
in  the  church,  and  against  which 
they  ought  to  be  especially  on  their 
guard.  Allusion  is  made  to  Esau  as 
an  example,  who,  himself  a  corrupt 
and  profane  man,  for  a  trifle  threw 
away  the  highest  honour  which  as  a 
son  he  could  have.  jMany  have  re- 
garded tJic  word  here  used  as  refer- 
ring to  idolatry,  or  defection  from  the 
true  religion  to  a  false  one — as  the 
word  is  otlen  used  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment— but  it  is  more  natural  to  un- 
derstand it  literally.  The  crime  here 
mentioned  was  one  which  abounded 
everywhere  in  ancient  times,  as  it 
docs  now,  and  it  was  important  to 
guard  the  church  against  it.  See 
Notes  on  Acts  xv.  20;  I.  Cor.  vi.  18. 
^  Or  profane  person.  The  word  pro- 
fane here  refers  to  one  who  by  word 
or  conduct  treats  religion  with  con- 
Icmpt,  or  has  no  reverence  for  that 
which  is  sacred.  This  may  be  shown 
by  words ;  by  the  manner ;  by  a 
sneer ;  by  neglect  of  religion ;  or 
by  openly  renouncing  the  privileges 
whicli  might  be  connected  with  our 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


311 


17  For  ye  know  how  that  af- 
terward, when  "  he  would  have 
inherited  the  blessing,  he  was 

a  Ge.  27.  34-38. 


salvation.  The  allusion  here  is  to 
one  who  should  openly  cast  off  all  the 
hopes  of  religion  for  indulgence  in 
temporary  pleasure,  as  Esau  gave  up 
his  birthright  for  a  trifling  gratifica- 
tion. In  a  similar  manner  the  young, 
for  temporary  gratification,  neglect 
or  despise  all  the  privileges  and  hopes 
resulting  from  their  being  born  in  the 
bosom  of  the  church ;  from  being 
baptized  and  consecrated  to  God  ;  and 
fi-om  being  trained  up  in  the  lap  of 
piety.  ^  As  Esau.  It  is  clearly  im- 
plied here  that  Esau  sustained  the 
character  of  a  fornicator  and  a  pro- 
fane person.  The  former  appellation 
is  probably  given  to  him  to  denote 
his  licentiousness  shown  by  his  mar- 
rying many  wives,  and  particularly 
foreigners,  or  the  daughters  of  Ca- 
naan. See  Gen.  xxxvi.  2 ;  conip. 
Gen.  xxvi.  34,  35.  The  Jewish  wri- 
ters abundantly  declare  that  that  was 
his  character.  See  Wetstein,  in  loc. 
In  proof  that  the  latter  appellation — 
that  of  a  profane  person — belonged  to 
hnn,  see  Gen.  xxv.  29 — 34.  It  is 
true  that  it  is  rather  by  inference, 
than  by  direct  assertion,  that  it  is 
known  that  he  sustained  this  charac- 
ter. The  birth-right,  in  his  circum- 
stances, was  a  high  honour.  The 
promise  respecting  the  inheritance  of 
the  land  of  Canaan,  the  coming  oftlie 
Messiah,  and  the  preservation  of  the 
true  religion,  had  been  given  to  Abra- 
ham and  Isaac,  and  was  to  be  trans- 
mitted by  them.  As  the  eldest  son, 
all  the  honour  connected  with  this, 
and  which  is  now  associated  with  the 
name  Jacob,  would  have  properly  ap- 
pertained -to  Esau.  But  he  under- 
valued it.  He  lived  a  licentious  life. 
He  followed  his  corrupt  propensities, 
and  gave  the  reins  to  indulgence.  In 
a  time  of  temporary  distress,  also,  he 
showed  how  little  he  really  valued  all 
this  by  bartering  it  away  for  a  single 
meal  of  victuals.     Rather  than  bear 


rejected  ;  for  he  found  no  place  ' 
of  repentance,  though  he  sought 
it  carefully  with  tears. 

•  or,  way  to  change  his  mind. 

the  evils  of  hunger  for  a  short  period, 
and  evidently  in  a  manner  implying 
a  great  undervaluing  of  the  honour 
which  he  held  as  the  first-born  son 
in  a  pious  line,  he  agreed  to  surren- 
der  all  the  privileges  connected  with 
his  birth.  It  was  this  which  made 
the  appellation  appropriate  to  him  ; 
and  this  will  make  the  appellation 
appropriate  in  any  similar  instance. 
11  Who  for  one  morsel  of  meat.  The 
word  meat  here  is  used,  as  it  is  com- 
monly in  the  Scriptures,  in  its  primi- 
five  sense  in  English  to  denote  food. 
Gen.  xxv,  34.  The  phrase  here,  'mor- 
sel of  meat,'  would  be  better  rendered 
by  '  a  single  meal.'  IT  Sold  his  birth, 
right.  The  birth-right  seems  to  have 
implied  the  first  place  or  rank  in  the 
family ;  the  privilege  of  offering  sa- 
crifice and  conducting  worship  in  the 
absence  or  death  of  the  father ;  a 
double  share  of  the  inheritance,  and 
in  this  instance  the  honour  of  being 
in  the  line  of  the  patriarchs,  and 
transmitting  the  promises  made  to 
Abraham  and  Isaac.  What  Esau 
parted  with,  we  can  easily  understand 
by  reflecting  on  the  honours  which 
have  clustered  around  the  name  of 
Jacob. 

17.  For  ye  know  how  that  afterward, 
&LC.  When  he  came  to  his  father, 
and  earnestly  besought  him  to  reverse 
the  sentence  which  he  had  pronounc- 
ed. See  Gen.  xxvii.  34  —  40.  The 
'  blessing'  here  referred  to  was  not 
that  of  the  birth-right,  which  he  knew 
he  could  not  regain,  but  that  pro- 
nounced by  the  father  Isaac  on  him 
whom  he  regarded  as  his  first-born 
son.  Tins  Jacob  obtained  by  fraud, 
when  Isaac  really  meant  to  bestow  it 
on  Esau.  Isaac  appears  to  have  been 
ignorant  wholly  of  the  bargain  which 
Jacob  and  Esau  had  made  in  regard 
to  the  birth-right,  and  Jacob  and  hia 
mother  contrived  in  this  way  to  have 
that  confirmed  which  Jacob  had  ob« 


313 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  Ct. 


18  For  ye  are  not  come  unto 
the-  mount  that  might  be  touch- 

a  Ex.  19.  12-19. 

tained  of  Esau  by  contract.  The 
sanction  of  the  father,  it  geems,  was 
necessary,  before  it  could  be  made 
sure,  and  Rebecca  and  Jacob  under- 
stood that  the  dying  blessing  of  the 
aged  patriarch  would  establish  it  all. 
It  was  obtained  by  dishonesty  on  tlie 
part  of  Jacob  ;  but  so  far  as  Esau  was 
concerned,  it  was  an  act  of  righteous 
retribution  for  the  little  regard  he  had 
shown  for  the  honour  of  his  birth. 
If  For  he  found  no  place  of  repent- 
ance. Marg.  '  Way  to  change  his 
mind.^  That  is,  no  place  for  repent- 
ance in  the  mind  of  Isaac,  or  no  way 
to  change  his  mind.  It  does  not  mean 
that  Esau  earnestly  souglit  to  repent 
and  could  not,  but  that  when  once  the 
blessing  had  passed  the  lips  of  his 
father,  he  found  it  impossible  to  change 
it.  Isaac  firmly  declared  that  he  had 
pronounced  the  blessing,  and  though 
it  had  been  obtained  by  fraud,  yet  as 
it  was  of  the  nature  of  a  divine  pre- 
diction it  could  not  now  be  changed. 
He  had  not  indeed  intended  that  it 
should  be  thus.  He  had  pronounced 
a  blessing  on  another  which  had  been 
designed  for  him.  But  still  the  benedic- 
tion liad  been  given.  The  prophetic 
words  had  been  pronounced.  By  di- 
vine direction  the  truth  had  been  spo- 
ken, and  liow  could  it  be  changed  ? 
It  was  impossible  now  to  reverse  the 
divine  purposes  in  the  case,  and  hence 
the  '  blessing'  must  stand  as  it  had 
been  spoken.  Isaac  did,  however,  all 
that  could  be  done.  He  gave  a  bene- 
diction to  his  son  Esau,  though  of  far 
inferior  value  to  that  wiiich  he  had 
pronounced  on  the  fraudulent  Jacob. 
Gen.  xxvii.  39,  40.  IT  Though  he 
sought  it  carefully  with  tears.  Gen. 
xxvii.  34.  He  sought  to  change  the 
purpose  of  his  iatiier,  but  could  not 
do  it.  The  meaning  and  bearing  of 
this  passage,  as  used  by  the  apostle, 
may  be  easily  understood.  (1.)  The 
decision  of  God  on  the  human  char- 
acter and  dertiny  will  soon  be  pro- 


ed,  and  that  burned  with  fii'e 
nor  unto  blackness,  and  dark 
ness  and  tempest, 

nounced.  That  decision  will  be  ac 
cording  to  truth,  and  cannot  be  chang- 
ed. (2.)  If  we  should  despise  our 
privileges  as  Esau  did  his  birtli-right, 
and  renounce  our  religion,  it  would 
be  impossible  to  recover  what  we  had 
lost.  There  would  be  no  possibility 
of  changing  the  divine  decision  in  the 
case,  for  it  would  be  determined  for 
ever.  This  passage,  therefore,  should 
not  be  alleged  to  show  that  a  sinner 
cannot  repent,  or  that  he  cannot  find 
'  place  f()r  repentance,'  or  assistance 
to  enable  him  to  repent,  or  that  tears 
and  sorrow  for  sin  would  be  of  no 
avail,  for  it  teaches  none  of  these 
things  ;  but  it  should  be  used  to  keep 
us  from  disregarding  our  privileges, 
from  turning  away  from  the  true  re- 
ligion, from  slighting  the  favours  of 
the  gospel,  and  from  neglecting  reli- 
gion till  death  comes ;  because  when 
God  has  once  pronounced  a  sentence 
excluding  us  from  his  favour,  no  tears, 
or  pleading,  or  etfort  of  our  own  can 
change  him.  The  sentence  which  he 
pronounces  on  the  scoffer,  the  impen- 
itent, the  hypocrite,  and  the  apostate, 
is  one  that  will  abide  for  ever  with- 
out change.  This  passage,  therefore, 
is  in  accordance  with  the  doctrine 
more  than  once  stated  before  in  this 
epistle,  that  if  a  Christian  should  re- 
ally apostatize  it  would  be  impossible 
that  he  should  be  saved.  See  Notes 
on  ch.  vi.  I — 6. 

18.  For  ye  are  not  come.  To  en- 
force the  considerations  already  urged, 
the  apostle  introduces  this  sublime 
comparison  between  the  old  and  now 
dispensations.  Vs.  18 — 24.  The  ob- 
ject, in  accordance  with  the  principal 
scope  of  the  epistle  is,  to  guard  them 
against  apostasy.  To  do  this,  he 
shows  that  under  the  new  dispensation 
there  was  much  more  to  bind  them 
to  fidelity,  and  to  make  apostasy  dan- 
gerous,  than  there  was  under  the  old. 
The  main  point  of  the  comparison  is, 
that  under  the  Jewish  dispensation, 


A..  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


313 


19  And  the  sound  of  a  trum- 
pet, and  the  voice  of  words ; 
which  »  voice  they  that  heard, 
\entrtjated  that  the  word  should 
jot  be  spoken  to  them  any  more : 

a  Ex.  20.  18.  19.  *  Ex.  19.  13.  16. 

■sverything  was  adapted  to  av/e  the 
mind,  and  to  restrain  by  the  exhibi- 
tion of  grandeur  and  of  power  ;  but 
that  under  the  Christian  dispensation, 
while  there  was  as  much  that  was 
subhme,  there  was  much  more  that 
was  adapted  to  win  and  hold  the  af- 
fections. Tiiere  were  revelations  of 
higher  trutks.  There  were  more  af- 
fecting motives  to  lead  to  obedience. 
There  was  that  of  which  the  former 
was  but  the  type  and  emblem.  There 
was  the  clear  revelation  of  the  glo- 
ries of  heaven,  and  of  the  blessed  so- 
ciety there,  all  adapted  to  prompt  to 
the  earnest  desire  that  they  might  be 
our  own.  The  considerations  present- 
ed in  this  passage  constitute  the  cli- 
max of  the  argument  so  beautifully 
pursued  through  this  epistle,  showing 
that  the  Christian  system  was  far  supe- 
rior in  every  respect  to  the  Jewish.  In 
presenting  this  closing  argument,  the 
apostle  first  refers  to  some  of  the  cir- 
cumstances attending  the  former  dis- 
pensation which  were  designed  to 
keep  the  people  of  God  from  aposta- 
sy, and  then  tlie  considerations  of  su- 
perior weight  existing  under  the  Chris- 
tian economy.  ^  The  mount  that 
might  he  touched.  Mount  Sinai.  The 
meaning  here  is,  that  that  mountain 
was  palpable,  material,  touchable — in 
contradistinction  from  the  Mount 
Zion  to  which  the  church  had  now 
come,  which  is  above  the  reach  of  the 
external  senses.  Ver.  22.  The  apos- 
tle does  not  mean  that  it  was  permit- 
ted to  the  Israelites  to  touch  Mount 
Sinai — for  this  was  strictly  forbidden, 
Ex.  xix.  12  ;  but  he  evidently  alludes 
to  that  prohibition,  and  means  to  say 
that  a  command  forbidding  them  to 
toucV  the  mountain,  implied  that  it 
was  a  material  or  palpable  object. 
The  sense  of  the  passage  is,  that 
every  circumstance  that  occurred 
27 


20  (For  they  could  not  en- 
dure that  which  was  command- 
ed, And  *  if  so  much  as  a  beast 
touch  the  mountain,  it  shall  be 
stoned,  or  thrust  through  with  a 
dart. 


there  was  fittted  to  fill  the  soul  with 
terror.  Everything  accompanying 
the  giving  of  the  law,  the  setting  of 
bounds  around  the  mountain  which 
they  might  not  pass,  and  the  darkness 
and  tempest  on  the  mountain  itselfj 
was  adopted  to  overawe  the  soul.  The 
phrase  '  the  touchable  mountain' — if 
such  a  phrase  is  proper — would  ex- 
press the  meaning  of  the  apostle  here. 
The  '  Mount  Zion'  to  which  the  church 
now  has  come,  is  of  a  different  char- 
acter. It  is  not  thus  visible  and  pal- 
pable. It  is  not  enveloped  in  smoke 
and  flame,  and  the  thunders  of  the 
Almighty  do  not  roll  and  re-echo 
among  its  lofty  peaks  as  at  Horeb; 
yet  it  presents  stronger  motives  to 
perseverance  in  the  service  of  God. 
If  And  that  burned  with  fire.  Ex.  xix. 
18.  Comp,  Deut,  iv.  11 ;  xxxiii.  2. 
IT  Nor  unto  blackness,  and  darkness, 
and  tempest.     See  Ex.  xix.  16. 

19,  And  the  voice  of  a  trumpet. 
Ex.  xix.  1 9.  The  sound  of  the  trum- 
pet  amidst  the  tempest  was  fitted  to 
increase  the  terror  of  the  scene.  T 
And  the  voice  of  words.  Spoken  by 
God.  Ex.  xix.  19.  It  is  easy  to  con- 
ceive what  must  have  been  the  awe 
produced  by  a  voice  uttered  from  the 
midst  of  the  tempest  so  distinct  as  to 
be  heard  by  the  hvmdreds  of  thou- 
sands  of  Israel,  when  the  speaker 
was  invisible.  ^  Which  voice  they 
that  heard,  &c.  Ex.  xx.  18,  19.  It 
was  so  fearful  and  overpowering  that 
the  people  earnestly  prayed  that  if 
they  must  be  addressed,  it  might  be 
by  the  familiar  voice  of  Moses  and 
not  by  the  awful  voice  of  the  Deity. 

20.  For  they  could  not  endure  that 
which  was  commanded.  They  could 
not  sustain  the  awe  produced  by  the 
fact  that  God  uttered  his  commands 
himself.  The  meaning  is  not  that 
the  commands  themselves  w^ere  intol 


314 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  61. 


21  And  so  terrible  was  the 
sight,  that  Moses  said,  I  exceed- 
ingly fear  and  quake :) 

erable,  but  that  tlie  manner  in  which 
they  were  communicated  inspired  a 
terror  wliich  they  could  not  bear. 
They  feared  that  tliey  should  die. 
Ex.  XX.  19.  If  And  if  so  much  as  a 
beasC  touch  the  mottntain,  it  shall  he 
atoned.  Ex.  xix.  13.  Tiic  i)rohibi- 
tion  was,  tliat  neither  beast  nor  man 
should  touch  it  on  pain  of  death.  The 
punishment  was  to  be  cither  by  ston- 
ing, or  being-  "  shot  through."  TF  Or 
thrust  through  icith  a  dart.  Ex.  xix. 
13.  "Or  shot  through."  This  phrase, 
however,  though  it  is  found  in  the 
common  editions  of  tiie  New  Testa- 
ment, is  wanting  in  all  the  more  valua- 
ble manuscripts;  in  all  the  ancient 
versions;  and  it  occurs  in  none  of  tlie 
Greek  ecclesiastical  writers,  with  one 
exception.  It  is  omitted  now  by  al- 
most all  editors  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. It  is  beyond  all  doubt  an  ad- 
dition of  later  times,  taken  from  the 
Septuagint  of  Ex.  xix.  13.  Its  omis- 
sion does  not  injure  the  sense. 

2\j^And  so  terrible  teas  the  sight, 
that  Moses  said,  &c.  This  is  not  re- 
corded in  the  account  of  the  giving 
of  the  law  iu  Exodus,  and  it  lias  btcn 
made  a  question  on  what  authority 
the  apostle  made  this  declaration  re- 
specting Moses.  In  Dcut.  ix.  19,  Mo- 
ses indeed  says,  of  himself,  after  he 
had  come  down  from  the  mountain, 
and  had  broken  the  two  tables  of 
stone  that  were  in  his  hand,  that  he 
was  greatly  afraid  of  the  anger  of 
tlie  Lord  on  account  of  the  sin  of  the 
people.  "  I  was  afraid  of  the  anger 
and  liot  displeasure  wherewith  the 
Lord  was  wroth  against  you  to  des- 
troy you  ;"  and  it  has  been  supposed 
by  many  that  this  is  the  passage  to 
which  the  apostle  here  alludes.  But 
it  is  very  evident  that  was  spoken  on  a 
different  occasion  from  the  one  which 
is  referred  to  in  the  passage  before 
us.  Tliat  was  after  the  law  was  pro- 
mulgated, and  Moses  liad  descended 
from  the  mount ;  »nd  it  was  not  said 


22   But    ye    are    come    unto 
Mount  Sion,  and  unto  the  city  " 

a  Ue.  3.  12. 


in  view  of  the  terrors  of  the  scene 
when  the  law  was  given,  but  of  the 
apprehension  of  the  wrath  of  God 
against  the  people  for  their  sin  iu 
making  the  golden  calf  I  know  not 
how  to  cxjjlain  this,  except  by  the 
supposition  that  the  apostle  here  re- 
iers  to  some  tradition  that  the  scene 
produced  this  effect  on  his  mind. 
In  itself  it  is  not  improbable  that 
Moses  thus  trembled  with  alarm 
(comp.  Ex.  xix.  16),  nor  that  the  re- 
membrance of  it  should  have  been 
handed  down  among  the  numerous 
traditions  which  the  Jews  transmit- 
ted from  age  to  age.  Tliere  must 
have  been  many  things  that  occurred 
in  their  journey  through  the  wilder- 
ness which  are  not  recorded  in  the 
Books  of  Moses.  Many  of  them 
would  be  preserved  naturally  in  the 
memory  of  the  people,  and  transmit- 
ted to  their  posterity ;  and  though 
those  truths  might  become  intermin- 
gled with  much  that  was  fabulous, 
yet  it  is  not  irrational  to  suppose  that 
an  inspired  writer  may  have  adduced 
pertinent  and  true  examples  from 
these  traditions  of  what  actually  oc- 
curred. It  was  one  method  of  pre- 
serving the  truth,  thus  to  select  such 
instances  of  what  actually  took  place 
from  the  mass  of  traditions  which 
were  destined  to  perish,  as  would  be 
useful  in  future  times.  The  circum- 
stance here  mentioned  was  greatly 
fitted  to  increase  the  impression  of 
the  sublimity  and  fearfuluess  of  .ho 
scene.  3Ioses  was  accustomed  to 
commune  with  God.  He  had  met 
him  at  tlic 'bush,'  and  had  been  ad. 
dressed  by  him  face  to  face,  and  ye* 
so  awful  were  the  scenes  at  Horeb 
that  even  he  could  not  bear  it  with 
composure.  What  may  we  then  sup- 
pose to  have  been  the  alarm  of  the 
body  of  the  people,  when  the  mind 
of  the  great  leader  liimself  was  tlius 
overpowered ! 

23.  But  yc  are  come  unto  Mount 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


315 


of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly 

a  Ps.  68.  17. 

Sion.  You  who  are  Christians ;  all 
who  are  under  the  new  dispensation. 
The  design  is  to  contrast  the  Chris- 
tian dispensation  with  the  Jewish, 
and  to  sliow  that  its  excellencies  and 
advantages  were  far  superior  to  the 
religion  of  their  fathers.  It  had  more 
to  win  the  affections  ;  more  to  elevate 
the  soul ;  more  to  inspire  v^'ith  hope. 
It  had  less  that  was  terrific  and  alarm- 
ing ;  it  appealed  less  to  the  fears  and 
more  to  the  hopes  of  mankind  ;  but 
still  apostasy  from  this  religion  could 
not  be  less  terrible  in  its  consequences 
than  apostasy  from  the  religion  of 
Moses.  In  tlie  passage  before  us,  the 
apostle  evidently  contrasts  Sinai  with 
Mount  Zion,  and  means  to  say  that 
there  was  more  about  the  latter  that 
was  adapted  to  win  the  heart  and  to 
preserve  allegiance  than  there  was 
about  the  former.  Mount  Zion  lite- 
rally denoted  the  Southern  hill  in  Je- 
rusalem, on  which  a  part  of  the  city 
was  built.  That  part  of  the  city  was 
made  by  David  and  his  successors  the 
residence  of  the  court,  and  soon  the 
name  Zion  was  given  familiarly  to 
the  whole  city.  Jerusalem  was  the 
centre  of  religion  in  the  land ;  the 
place  where  the  temple  stood,  and 
where  the  worship  of  God  was  cele- 
brated, and  where  God  dwelt  by  a 
visible  symbol,  and  it  became  the  type 
and  emblem  of  the  holy  abode  where 
He  dwells  in  lieaven.  It  cannot  be 
literally  meant  here  that  they  had 
come  to  the  Mount  Zion  in  Jerusalem, 
for  that  was  as  true  of  the  whole  Jew- 
ish people  as  of  those  whom  the  apos- 
tle addressed,  but  it  must  mean  that 
they  had  come  to  the  Mount  Zion  of 
which  the  holy  city  was  an  emblem  ; 
-to  the  glorious  mount  which  is  reveal- 
ed as  the  dwelling-place  of  God,  of 
angels,  of  saints.  That  is,  they  had 
'  come'  to  this  by  the  revelations  and 
hopes  of  the  gospel.  They  were  not 
indeed  literally  in  heaven,  nor  was 
that  glorious  city  literally  on  earth, 
but  the  dispensation  to  which  they 
had   been   brouglit  was   that  which 


Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumer- 
able company  of  angels, " 


conducted  them  directly  up  to  the  city 
of  the  living  God,  and  to  the  holy 
mount  where  he  dwelt  above.  The 
view  was  not  confined  to  an  earthly 
mountain  enveloped  in  smoke  and 
flame,  but  opened  at  once  on  the  jioly 
place  where  God  abides.  By  the 
phrase  'ye  are  come,'  the  apostle 
means  that  this  was  the  characteristic 
of  the  new  dispensation  that  it  con- 
ducted them  there,  and  that  they  were 
already  in  fact  inhabitants  of  that 
glorious  city.  They  were  citizens  of 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem  (comp.  Note 
Phil.  iii.  20),  and  were  entitled  to  its 
privileges.  If  And  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God.  The  city  where  the  liv- 
ing God  dwells — the  heavenly  Jeru- 
salem. Comp.  Notes  on  ch.  xi.  10. 
God  dwelt  by  a  visible  symbol  in  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem — and  to  that  his 
people  came  under  the  old  dispensa- 
tion. In  a  more  literal  and  glorious 
sense  his  abode  is  in  heaven,  and  to 
that  his  people  have  now  come.  IT  The 
heavenly  Jerusalem.  Heaven  is  not 
unfrequently  represented  as  a  mag- 
nificent city  where  God  and  angels 
dwell ;  and  the  Christian  revelation 
discloses  this  to  Christians  as  certain, 
ly  their  final  home.  They  should  re- 
gard themselves  already  as  dwellers 
in  that  city,  and  live  and  act  as  if 
they  saw  its  splendour  and  partook 
of  its  joy.  In  regard  to  this  repre- 
sentation of  heaven  as  a  city  where 
God  dwells,  the  following  places  may 
be  consulted.  Heb.  xi.  10.  14 — 16; 
xii.  28  ;  xiii.  14 ;  Gal.  iv.  26  ;  Rev.  iii. 
12;  xxi.  2.  10—27.  It  is  trufe  that 
Christians  have  not  yet  seen  that  city 
by  the  bodily  eye,  but  they  look  to  it 
with  the  eye  of  faith.  It  is  revealed 
to  them ;  they  are  permitted  by  anti- 
cipation to  contemplate  its  glories, 
and  to  feel  that  it  is  to  be  their  eter- 
nal home.  They  are  permitted  to 
live  and  act  as  if  they  saw  the  glori- 
ous God  whose  dwelling  is  there,  and 
were  already  surrounded  by  the  an- 
gels and  the  redeemed.  The  apostle 
does  not  represent  tliem  as  if  they 


316 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


c  Ge.  18.  25. 


d  1  Co.  IS.  49,  S4. 


23  To  the  general  assembly  I  and  to  God  the  Judge '  of  all, 
and  church  of  the  first-born, "  and  to  the  spirits  of  just  rnen  "* 
which  are  '  written  '  in  lieaven,   made  perfect, 

a  Re.  14.  4.       »  or,  enrolled.       b  Lu.  10. 20. 

were  expecting  that  it  would  be  visi- 
bly set  up  on  the  earth,  but  as  being 
now  actually  dwellers  in  that  city, 
and  bound  to  live  and  act  as  if  they 
were  amidst  its  splendours.  H  And 
to  an  innumerable  company  of  angels. 
The  Greek  here  is,  '  to  myriads  [or 
ten  thousands]  of  angels  in  an  assem- 
bly or  joyful  convocation.'  Tiie 
phrase  '  tens  of  thousands'  is  often 
used  to  denote  a  great  and  indefinite 
number.  The  word  rendered  '  gene- 
ral assembly,'  (ver.  22) — Tzavtjyvpis — 
refers  properly  to  'an  assembly  or 
convocation  of  the  whole  people  in 
order  to  celebrate  any  public  festival 
or  solemnit}',  as  the  public  games  or 
sacrifices.'  Rob.  Lex.  It  occurs  no- 
where else  in  the  New  Testament, 
and  refers  here  to  the  angels  viewed 
as  assembled  around  the  throne  of 
God  and  celebrating  his  praises.  It 
should  be  regarded  as  connected  with 
the  word  angels,  referring  to  their 
convocation  in  heaven,  and  not  to  tlie 
church  of  the  first-born.  This  con- 
Btruction  is  demanded  by  the  Greek. 
Our  common  translation  renders  it  as 
if  it  were  to  be  united  witJi  the  churcli 
—'to  the  general  assembly  ant/  churcli 
of  the  first-born  ;'  but  the  Greek  will 
not  admit  of  this  construction.  The 
interpretation  which  unites  it  with 
the  angels  is  adopted  now  by  almost 
all  critics,  and  in  almost  all  the  edi- 
tions of  the  New  Testament.  On  the 
convopation  of  angels,  see  Notes  on 
Job  i.  6.  The  writer  intends  doubt- 
less to  contrast  that  joyful  assem- 
blage of  the  angels  in  heaven  with 
those  who  appeared  in  the  giving  of 
the  law  on  Mount  Sinai.  God  is  al- 
ways represented  as  surrounded  by 
hosts  of  angels  in  heaven.  See  Dcut. 
xx.xiii.  2  ;  I.  Kings  xxii.  19  ;  Dan.  vii. 
10;  P«.  litviii.  17;  comp.  Notes  Heb. 
xii.  1  ;  soc  also  Rev.  v.  ii ;  Matt.  xxvi. 
53  ;  Luke  ii.  13.  The  meaning  is, 
that  under  the  Christian  dispensation 


Christians  in  their  feelings  and  wor- 
ship  become  united  to  this  vast  host 
of  holy  angelic  beings.  It  is,  of 
course,  not  meant  that  they  are  visi. 
ble,  but  they  are  seen  by  the  eye  of 
faith.  Tiie  argument  here  is,  that  as, 
in  virtue  of  the  Christian  revelation, 
we  become  associated  with  those  pure 
and  happy  spirits,  we  should  not  apos- 
tatize li-om  such  a  religion,  for  we 
should  regard  it  as  honourable  and 
glorious  to  be  identified  with  them. 

23.  To  the  general  assembly.  See 
Notes  on  ver.  22.  ^  And  church  of 
the  Jirst-born.  That  is,  you  are  united 
with  the  church  of  the  first-born. 
They  who  were  first-born  among  the 
Hebrews  enjoyed  peculiar  privileges, 
and  especially  pre-eminence  of  rank. 
See  Notes  on  Coll.  i.  15.  The  refer- 
ence here  is,  evidently,  to  those  saints 
who  had  been  distinguished  for  their 
piety,  and  who  may  be  supposed  to 
be  exalted  to  peculiar  honours  in  lica- 
ven — such  as  the  patriarchs,  prophets, 
martyrs.  The  meaning  is,  that  by 
becoming  Christians,  we  have  become 
in  fact  identified  with  that  happy  and 
honoured  churcli,  and  that  this  is  a 
powerful  motive  to  induce  us  to  per- 
severe. It  is  a  consideration  which 
should  make  us  adhere  to  our  religion 
amidst  all  temptations  and  persecu- 
tions, that  we  are  identified  with  the 
most  eminently  holy  nicii  who  have 
lived,  and  that  we  are  to  share  their 
honours  and  their  joys.  The  Chris- 
tian is  united  in  feeling,  in  honour, 
and  in  destiny,  with  the  excellent  of 
all  the  earth  and  of  all  times.  He 
should  feel  it,  therefore,  an  honour  to 
be  a  Christian  ;  he  should  yield  to  no 
temptation  which  would  induce  him 
to  part  from  so  goodly  a  fellowship. 
If  Which  are  written  in  heaven.  Marg. 
enrolled.  The  word  here  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Greeks  to  denote  that 
one  was  enrolled  as  a  citizen,  or  enti- 
tled to  the  privileges  of  citizenship. 


A.  D  C4.] 


CHAPTER  XIL 


317 


24  And  to  Jesus  the  media- 
tor '  of  the  new  covenant,  '  and 
to  the  blood  *  of  sprinkling,  that 

a  c.  8.  6.  '  or,  testament. 

Here  it  means,  that  the  names  of  the 
persons  referred  to  were  registered  or 
enrolled  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
heavenly  world.  See  Notes,  Luke  x. 
20.  ^  And  to  God  the  judge  of  all. 
God,  who  will  pronounce  the  final 
sentence  on  all  mankind.  The  object 
of  the  reference  here  to  God  as  judge 
does  not  appear  to  be  to  contrast  the 
condition  of  Christians  with  that  of 
the  Jews,  as  is  the  case  in  some  of 
the  circumstances  alluded  to,  but  to 
bring  impressively  before  their  minds 
the  liict  that  they  sustained  a  pecu- 
liarly near  relation  to  him  from  wliom 
all  were  to  receive  their  final  allot- 
ment. As  the  destiny  of  all  depended 
on  him,  they  should  be  careful  not  to 
provoke  his  wrath.  The  design  of  the 
apostle  seems  to  be  to  give  a  rapid 
glance  of  what  there  was  in  heaven, 
as  disclosed  by  the  eye  of  faitii  to  the 
Christian,  which  should  operate  as  a 
motive  to  induce  hnn  to  persevere  in 
his  Christian  course.  Tlie  thought 
that  seems  to  have  struck  his  mind 
in  regard  to  God  was,  that  he  would 
do  right  to  all.  They  had,  therefore, 
everything  to  fear  if  they  revolted 
from  him ;  they  had  everything  to 
hope  if  they  bore  their  trials  with  pa- 
tience, and  persevered  to  the  end. 
TT  And  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect.  Not  only  to  the  more  emi- 
nent saints — the  '  church  of  tlie  first- 
born'— but  to  all  who  were  made  per- 
fect in  heaven.  They  were  not  only 
united  with  the  imperfect  Christians 
on  earth,  but  with  those  who  have 
•become  completely  delivered  from  sin, 
and  admitted  to  the  world  of  glory. 
This  is  a  consideration  which  ought 
to  influence  the  minds  of  all  believers. 
They  are  even  now  united  with  all 
the  redeemed  in  heaven.  They  should 
so  live  as  not  to  be  separated  from 
tliem  in  the  final  day.  Most  Chris- 
tians have  among  the  redeemed  al- 
ready not  a  few  of  their  most  tenderly 
beloved  friends,  A  father  may  be 
27* 


speaketh    better    things    than 
that  of  Abel. « 

h  Ex.  24.  8.  c  Ge.  4. 10. 


there ;  a  mother,  a  sister,  a  smiling 
babe.  It  should  be  a  powerful  motive 
with  us  so  to  live  as  to  be  prepared 
to  be  reunited  with  them  in  heaven. 

24.  And  to  Jesus  the  Mediator  of 
the  new  covenant.  This  was  the 
crowning  excellence  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation in  contradistinction  from 
the  old.  They  had  been  made  ac 
quainted  with  the  true  Messiah;  they 
were  united  to  him  by  faith ;  they 
had  been  sprinkled  with  his  bloodv 
See  Notes  on  ch.  vii.  22,  and  ch.  viii.  6. 
The  highest  consideration  which  can 
be  urged  to  induce  any  one  to  perse- 
vere in  a  life  of  piety  is  the  fact  that 
the  Son  of  God  has  come  into  the 
world  and  died  to  save  sinners.  Com  p. 
Notes  on  vs.  2 — 4  of  this  chapter. 
IT  And  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling.  The 
blood  which  Jesus  shed,  and  which  is 
sprinkled  upon  us  to  ratify  the  cove- 
nant. See  Notes  on  ch.  i.\.  18 — 23. 
V  That  speaketh  better  things  than  that 
of  Abel.  Gr.  '  Than  Abel ;'  the  words 
'  that  of  being  supplied  by  the  trans- 
lators. In  the  original  there  is  no  re- 
ference to  the  blood  of  Abel  shed  by 
Cain,  as  our  translators  seem  to  have 
supposed,  but  the  allusion  is  to  the 
faith  of  Abel,  or  to  the  testimony 
which  he  bore  to  a  great  and  vital 
truth  of  religion.  The  meaning  here 
is,  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  speaks  bet- 
ter things  than  Abel  did  ;  that  is,  that 
the  blood  of  Jesus  is  the  reality  of 
which  the  offering  of  Abel  was  a  type 
Abel  proclaimed  by  tlic  sacrifice  which 
he  made  the  great  truth  that  salva- 
tion could  be  only  by  a  bloody  offer 
ing — but  lie  did  this  only  in  a  typical 
and  obscure  manner  ;  Jesus  proclaim- 
ed it  in  a  more  distinct  and  better 
manner  by  the  reality.  The  object 
here  is  to  compare  the  Redeemer  with 
Abel,  not  in  the  sense  that  the  blood 
shed  in  either  case  calls  for  vengeance, 
but  that  salvation  by  blood  is  mora 
clearlj"  revealed  in  the  Christian  plan 
than   in   the   ancient    history ;    and 


'JI8 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  6J. 


25  See  that  ye  refuse  not 
him  that  speaketh.  For  if  they 
escaped  not  who  refused  him 
that  spake  on  earth,  much  more 


hence  illustrating,  in  accordance  with 
the  desijjn  of  this  epistle,  tlie  superior 
excellency  of  the  Christian    sciieine 
over  all  which  had  preceded  it.  There 
were  other  points  of  resemblance  be- 
tween Abel  and  the  Redeemer,  but  on 
theni  the  apostle  docs  not  insist.  Abel 
'vas   a  martyr,   and   so  was  Christ; 
\bel  was  cruelly  mordcrcd,  and   so 
•  /as  Christ ;    there    was   ag^gravatcd 
guilt  in  the  murder  of  Abel  by  his 
brother,  and    so    there  was    in    that 
of  Jesus  by  his  brethren  —  his  own 
countrymen ;  the  blood  of  Abel  called 
for  vengeance,  and  was  followed   by 
a  fearful  penalty  on  Cain,  and  so  was 
the  death  of  the  Redeemer  on  his  mur- 
derers— for  they  said,  "his  blood  be  on 
us  and  on  our  cliildren,"  and  are  yet 
suffering  under  the  fearful  maledic- 
tion then  invoked  ; — but  the  point  of 
contrast  here  is,  that  the  blood  of  Je- 
sus makes  a  more  full,  distinct,  and 
clear  proclamation  of  the  truth  that 
salvation  is  by  blood  than  the  offering 
made  by  Abel  did.     The  apostle  al- 
ludes here  to  what  he  had  said  in  ch. 
xi.  4.   See  Notes  on  that  verse.    Such 
is  the  contrast  between   the  former 
and  the  latter  dispensations ;  and  such 
the  motives  to  perseverance  presented 
by  both.     In  the  former,  the  Jewish, 
all  was  imperfect,  terrible  and  alarm- 
ing.    In  the    latter,  everything  was 
comparatively   mild,  winning,   allur- 
ing, animating.     Terror  was  not  the 
principal    element,    but    heaven   was 
opened  to  the  eye  of  faith,  and  the 
Christian  was  permitted  to  survey  the 
Mount  Zion ;    the    New   Jerusalem; 
the  angels  ;  the  redeemed  ;  the  blessed 
God ;  the  glorious  Mediator,  and  to 
feel  tliat  that  blessed  abode  was  to  be 
his  home.     To  that  hapjjy  world  he 
was  tending;  and  with  all  these  pure 
and  glorious  beings  he  was  identified. 
Having  stated  and  urged  this  argu- 
ment, the    apostle   in  the  remainder 
of  the  chapter  warns  those  whom  he 


shall  not  we  escape  if  we  turn 
away  from  him  that  speaketh 
from  heaven  : 

26  Whose  voice  then  shook 

addressed  in  a  most  solemn  manner 
against  a  renunciation  of  their  Chris- 
tian  faith. 

25.  See  that  ye  refuse  not.  71iat 
you  do  not  reject  or  disregard.  ^  Hitn 
that  speaketh.  That  is,  in  the  gospel. 
Do  not  turn  away  from  him  who  has 
addressed  you  in  the  new  dispensa- 
tion, and  called  you  to  obey  and  serve 
him.  The  meaning  is,  that  God  had 
addressed  theni  in  the  gospel  as  really 
as  he  had  done  the  Hebrews  on  Mount 
Sinai,  and  that  there  was  as  much  to 
be  dreaded  in  disregarding  his  voice 
now  as  tliere  was  then.  He  does  not 
speak,  indeed,  amidst  lightnings,  and 
thunders,  and  clouds,  but  ho  speaks 
by  every  message  of  mercy ;  by  every 
invitation  ;  by  every  tender  appeal. 
He  spake  by  his  Son  (ch.  i.  1);  he 
speaks  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  by  all 
his  calls  and  warnings  in  the  gospel. 
IT  For  if  they  escaped  not.  If  they 
who  heard  God  under  tiie  old  dispen- 
sation, who  refused  to  obey  him,  were 
cut  off.  Notes  ch.  x.  28.  IT  Wio  re. 
fused  him  that  spake  on  earth.  Tliat 
is,  Moses.  The  contrast  here  is  be- 
tween Moses  and  the  Son  of  God— 
the  head  of  the  Jewish  and  the  head 
of  the  Christian  dispensation.  Moses 
was  a  mere  man,  and  spake  as  such, 
though  in  the  name  of  God.  The  Son 
of  God  was  from  above,  and  spake  as 
an  inhabitant  of  heaven.  IT  Much 
more,  &,c.  See  Notes  on  ch.  ii.  2,  3 ; 
ix.  29. 

26.  Whose  voice  then  shook  the  earth. 
When  he  spake  at  Mount  Sinai.  Th^ 
meaning^  is,  that  the  mountain  and 
the  region  around  quaked.  Ex.  xix. 
1 8.  The  '  voice'  hero  referred  to  is 
that  of  God  speaking  from  the  holy 
mount.  ^  Bui  vow  hath  he  promised, 
saying.  The  words  here  quoted  are 
taken  from  Haggai  ii.  6,  where  they 
refer  to  the  changes  which  would  take 
place  under  the  Messiah.  The  mean- 
ing  is,  tliat  there  would  be  great  re- 


A.  D.  64.] 

the    earth 
promised, 


CHAPTER  Xll. 


:    but  now  he   hath 
saying,  "  Yet    once 

a  Hag.  2.  6. 


volutions  in  his  coming,  as  if  the 
universe  were  shaken  to  its  centre. 
The  apostle  evidently  applies  this 
passag-e  as  it  is  done  in  Haggai,  to 
the  first  advent  of  the  Redeemer.  If 
J  shake  not  the  earth  only.  This  is  not 
quoted  literally  from  the  Hebrew,  but 
the  sense  is  retained.  In  Haggai  it 
is,  "  Yet  once,  it  is  a  little  while,  and 
I  will  shake  the  heavens,  and  the 
earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  dry  land  ; 
and  I  will  shake  all  nations,  and  the 
desire  of  all  nations  shall  come."  The 
apostle  lays  emphasis  on  the  fact  that 
not  only  the  earth  vv'as  to  be  shaken 
but  also  heaven.  The  shaking  of  the 
earth  here  evidently  refers  to  the 
commotions  among  the  nations  that 
would  prepare  the  way  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  Messiah.  IT  But  also  hea- 
ven. This  may  refer  either  (1)  to  the 
extraordinary  phenomena  in  the  hea- 
vens at  the  birth,  the  death,  and  the 
ascension  of  Christ ;  or  (2)  to  the  re- 
volutions in  morals  and  religion 
which  would  be  caused  by  the  intro- 
duction of  the  gospel,  as  if  everything 
were  to  be  changed  —  expressed  by 
'  a  shalting  of  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  ;'  or  (3)  it  may  be  more  literally 
taken  as  denoting  that  there  was  a  re- 
markable agitation  in  the  heavens — in 
the  bosoms  of  its  inhabitants — arising 
from  a  fact  so  wonderful  as  that  the 
Son  of  God  should  descend  to  earth, 
suffer,  and  die.  I  see  no  reason  to 
doubt  that  the  latter  idea  may  have 
been  included  here  ;  and  the  meaning 
of  the  wliole  then  is,  that  while  the 
giving  of  the  law  at  Mount  Sinai, 
fearful  and  solemn  as  it  was,  was  an 
event  that  merely  shook  the  earth  in 
the  vicinity  qf  the  holy  Mount,  the  in- 
troduction of  the  gospel  agitated  the 
universe.  Great  changes  upon  the 
earth  were  to  precede  it ;  one  revolution 
was  to  succeed  another  preparatory 
to  it,  and  the  whole  universe  would 
be  moved  at  an  event  so  extraordinary. 
The  meaning  is,  that  the  introduction 


319 
earth 


more   I   shake   not   the 
only,  but  also  heaven. 

27  And  this  word,  Yet  once 

of  the  gospel  was  a  much  more  solemn 
and  momentous  thing  than  the  giving 
of  the  law — and  that,  therefore,  it  was 
much  more  fearful  and  dangerous  to 
apostatize  from  it. 

27.  And  this  word.  Yet  once  more. 
That  is,  this  reference  to  a  great  agi- 
tation  or  commotion  in  some  future 
time.  This  is  designed  as  an  expla- 
nation of  the  prophecy  in  Haggai, 
and  the  idea  is,  that  there  would  be 
such  agitations  that  ever)^thing  which 
was  not  fixed  on  a  permanent  and  im- 
movable basis  would  be  thrown  down 
as  in  an  earthquake.  Everything 
which  was  temporary  in  human  in- 
stitutions ;  everything  which  was 
wrong  in  customs  and  morals ;  and 
everything  in  the  ancient  system  of 
religion  which  was  merely  of  a  pre- 
paratory and  typical  character  would 
be  removed.  What  was  of  permanent 
value  would  be  retained,  and  a  king- 
dom would  be  established  which  no- 
thing could  move.  The  effect  of  the 
gospel  would  be  to  overturn  every- 
thing which  was  of  a  temporary 
character  in  the  previous  system,  and 
everything  in  morals  which  was  not 
founded  on  a  solid  basis,  and  to  set  up 
in  the  place  of  it  principles  which  no 
revolution  and  no  time  could  change. 
The  coming  of  the  Saviour,  and  the 
influence  of  his  religion  on  mankind, 
had  this  effect  in  such  respects  as  the 
following.  (1.)  All  that  was  of  a 
sound  and  permanent  nature  in  the 
Jewish  economy  was  retained ;  all 
that  was  typical  and  temporary  was 
removed.  The  whole  mass  of  sacri- 
fices and  ceremonies  that  were  de- 
signed to  prefigure  the  Messiali  of 
course  then  ceased  ;  all  that  was  of 
permanent  value  in  the  law  of  God, 
and  in  the  principles  of  religion,  was 
incorporated  in  the  new  system  and 
perpetuated.  (2.)  The  same  is  true  in 
regard  to  morals.  There  was  much 
truth  on  the  earth  before  the  time  of 
the  Saviour  ;  but  it  was  intermingled 


320 


more,  sijjnifielh  the  removing 
of  those  things  that  are  '  sha- 
ken, as  of  things  that  are  made, 
that  those  things  which  cannot 
be  shaken  may  remain. 

with  much  that  was  false.  The  effect 
of  his  coming  has  been  to  distinguish 
wliat  is  true  and  what  is  false ;  to 
give  permanency  to  the  one,  and  to 
cause  the  other  to  vanish.  (3.)  The 
same  is  true  of  religion.  There  are 
some  views  of  religion  \vliich  men 
have  by  nature  which  are  correct ; 
there  are  many  which  are  false'.  Tiie 
Christian  religion  gives  permanence 
and  stability  to  the  one,  and  causes 
the  other  to  disappear.  And  in  gene- 
ral, it  may  be  remarked,  tliat  tlie 
effect  of  Christianity  is  to  give  sta- 
bility to  all  that  is  founded  on  truth, 
and  to  drive  error  from  the  world. 
Christ  came  that  he  might  destroy  all 
the  systems  of  error — that  is,  all  that 
covld  be  shaken  on  earth,  and  to  con- 
firm all  that  is  true.  The  result  of 
all  will  be  that  he  will  preside  over  a 
permanent  kingdom,  and  that  his 
people  will  inherit  "a  kingdom  which 
cannot  be  moved."  Ver.  28.  H  Tfie 
removing  of  those  things  that  are  sha- 
ken. Marg.  more  correctly  "  may  be." 
The  meaning  is,  that  those  principles 
of  religion  and  morals  wliich  were 
not  founded  on  truth,  would  be  re- 
moved by  his  coming.  ^  As  of  things 
that  are  made.  Much  perplexity  has 
been  felt  by  expositors  in  regard  to 
this  phrase,  but  the  meaning  seems 
to  be  plain.  The  apostle  is  contrast- 
ing the  things  which  are  fixed  and 
stable  with  those  which  are  temporary 
in  their  nature,  or  which  are  settled 
on  no  firm  foundation.  The  former 
he  speaks  of  as  if  they  were  uncreated 
and  eternal  principles  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  The  latter  he  speaks 
of  as  if  they  were  created,  and  there- 
fore liable,  like  all  things  which  are 
'  made,'  to  decay,  to  change,  to  disso- 
lution. If  That  those  things  which  ctn- 
not  be  shaken  may  remain.  The  eter- 
nal principles  of  trutli,  and  law,  and 
righteousness.      These  would   enter 


HEBREWS.  [A.  D.  64. 

28  Wherefore  we  receiving 
a  kingdom  which  cannot  be 
moved,  let  us  have  grace, 
whereby    we    may    serve    God 

1  or,  may  be.  2  or,  holdfast. 

into  the  new  kingdom  which  was  to 
be  set  up,  and  of  course  that  king- 
dom would  be  permanent.  These  are 
not  changed  or  modified  by  time, 
circumstances,  human  opinions  or 
laws.  They  remain  the  same  from 
age  to  age,  in  every  land,  and  in  all 
worlds.  They  have  been  permanent 
in  all  the  fluctuations  of  opinion ;  in 
all  the  varied  forms  of  government 
on  earth;  in  all  the  revolutions  of 
states  and  empires.  To  bring  out 
these  is  the  result  of  the  events  of  di- 
vine Providence,  and  the  object  of  the 
coming  of  the  Redeemer;  and  on 
these  principles  that  great  kingdom 
is  to  be  reared  which  is  to  endure 
for  ever  and  ever, 

28.  Wherefore  we  receiving  a  king 
dom  lohich  cannot  he  moved.  We  who 
are  Christians.  We  pertain  to  a  king- 
dom  that  is  permanent  and  unchang- 
ing.  Tiie  meaning  is,  that  the  king- 
dom of  the  Redeemer  is  never  to  pass 
away.  It  is  not,  like  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation, to  give  place  to  another, 
nor  is  there  anj'  power  that  can  de- 
stroy it.  See  Notes  on  Matt.  xvi.  18. 
It  has  now  endured  for  eighteen 
hundred  years  amidst  all  the  revolu- 
tions on  earth,  and  in  spite  of  all  the 
attempts  which  have  been  made  to 
destroy  it ;  and  it  is  now  as  vigorous 
and  stable  as  it  ever  was.  The  past 
has  shown  tliat  there  is  no  power  of 
earth  or  hell  that  can  destroy  it,  and 
that  in  line  midst  of  all  revolutions 
this  kingdom  still  survives.  Its  great 
principles  and  laws  will  endure  on 
earth  to  the  end  of  time,  and  will 
be  made  permanent  in  Jieaven.  This 
is  the  only  kingdom  in  which  we 
can  be  certain  that  tiiere  will  be  no 
revolution  ;  tiie  only  empire  \vliich 
is  destined  never  to  fill.  ^  Let  ua 
have  grace  whereby  we  may  serve 
God.  Marg.  'let  us  hold  fast.* 
The   Greek   is,  literally,  let  us  have 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XII. 


331 


acceptably  with  reverence  and 
godly  fear. 

grace  ;  the  meaning  is,  '  let  us  hold 
fast  the  grace  or  favour  which  we 
have  received  in  being'  admitted  to 
the  privileges  of  that  iiingdom.'  The 
object  of  the  apostle  is,  to  keep  them 
in  the  reverent  fear  and  service  of 
God.  The  argument  which  he  pre- 
sents  is,  that  this  kingdom  is  perma- 
nent. There  is  no  danger  of  its  being 
overthrown.  It  is  to  continue  on 
earth  to  the  end  of  time  ;  it  is  to  be 
esUablished  in  heaven  for  ever.  If  it 
were  temporary,  changeable,  liable  to 
be  overthrown  at  any  moment,  there 
would  be  much  less  encouragement 
to  perseverance.  But  in  a  kingdom 
like  this  there  is  every  encourage- 
ment, for  there  is  the  assurance  (1) 
that  all  our  interests  there  are  safe  ; 
(2)  that  all  our  exertions  will  be 
crowned  with  ultimate  success  ;  (3) 
that  the  efforts  which  we  make  to  do 
good  will  have  a  permanent  influence 
on  mankind,  and  will  bless  future  ages ; 
and  (4)  that  the  reward  is  certain.  A 
man  subject  to  a  government  about 
whose  continuance  there  would  be 
the  utmost  uncertainty,  would  have 
little  encouragement  to  labour  with  a 
view  to  any  permanent  interest.  In 
a  government  where  nothing  is  set- 
tled ;  where  all  policy  is  changing, 
and  where  there  are  constantly  va- 
cillating plans,  there  is  no  indace- 
ment  to  enter  on  any  enterprise  de- 
manding time  and  risk.  But  where 
the  policy  is  settled;  where  tlic  prin- 
ciples and  the  laws  are  firm ;  where 
there  is  evidence  of  permanency, 
there  is  the  highest  encouragement. 
The  highest  possible  encouragement 
of  tliis  kind  is  in  the  permanent  and 
established  kingdom  of  God.  All 
other  governments  may  be  revolu- 
tionized; this  never  will  be:  —  all 
others  may  have  a  changeful  policy  ; 
this  has  none: — all  others  will  be 
overthrown  ;  this  never  will.  IT  With 
reverence  and  godly  fear.  With  true 
veneration  for  God,  and  with  pious 
devotedness. 


29   For  "  our  God  is  a  con- 


suming fire. 


a  De.  4.  24. 


29.  For  our  God  is  a  consuming 
fire.  This  is  a  further  reason  why 
we  should  serve  God  with  profound 
reverence  and  unwavering  fidelity. 
The  quotation  is  made  from  Deut.  iv. 
24.  "  For  the  Lord  thy  God  is  a  con- 
suming fire,  even  a  jealous  God." 
The  object  of  the  apostle  here  seems 
to  be,  to  show  that  there  was  the  same 
reason  for  fearing  the  displeasure  of 
God  under  the  new  dispensation  which 
there  was  under  the  old.  It  was  the 
same  God  who  was  served.  There 
had  been  no  change  in  his  attributes, 
or  in  the  principles  of  his  government. 
He  was  no  more  the  friend  of  sin  novjr 
than  he  was  then ;  and  the  same  per- 
fections of  his  nature  which  would 
then  lead  him  to  punish  transgression 
would  also  lead  him  to  do  it  now. 
His  anger  was  really  as  terrible,  and 
as  much  to  be  dreaded  as  it  was  at 
Mount  Sinai ;  and  the  destruction 
which  he  would  inflict  on  his  foes 
would  be  aS  terrible  now  as  it  was 
then.  The  fearfulness  with  which 
he  would  come  forth  to  destroy  the 
wicked  might  be  compared  to  a  fire 
that  consumed  all  before  it.  See 
Notes,  iVIark  ix.  44 — 46.  The  image 
here  is  a  most  fearful  one,  and  is  in 
accordance  with  all  the  representa 
tions  of  God  in  the  Bible,  and  with 
all  that  we  see  in  the  divine  dealings 
with  wicked  men,  that  punishment 
as  inflicted  by  him  is  awful  and  over- 
whelming.  So  it  was  on  the  old 
world  ;  on  the  cities  of  the  plain  ;  on 
the  hosts  of  Sennacherib ;  and  on  Je- 
rusalem— and  so  it  has  been  in  the 
calamities  of  pestilence,  war,  flood, 
and  famine  witli  which  God  has  visit, 
ed  guilty  men.  By  all  these  tender 
and  solemn  considerations,  therefore, 
the  apostle  urges  the  friends  of]  God 
to  perseverance  and  fidelity  in  his  ser- 
vice. His  goodness  and  mercy  ;  the 
gifl  of  a  Saviour  to  redeem  us ;  the 
revelation  of  a  glorious  world ;  the 
assurance  that  all  may  soon  be  united 
I  in  fellowship  with  the  angels  and  the 


3-22 


IIKBREVVS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LET  brotlicily  "  love  continue. 
2  Be  not  lorgetlul  to  en- 
tertain   strangers :   for    thereby 

u  1  Pe.  l.ii;  1  JiKi.  4.  7,  ao. 

redeemed ;  the  certainty  that  the  king- 
dom of  the  Saviour  is  cstablislied  on 
a  permanent  basis,  and  the  apprehen- 
sion of  tlic  dreadful  wrath  of  God 
against  the  guilty,  all  should  lead  us 
to  persevere  in  the  duties  of  our  Chris- 
tian calling,  and  to  avoid  those  things 
wiiich  would  jeopard  the  eternal  in- 
terests of  our  souls. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

ANALYSIS  OF  THE  CHAPTER. 

The  closing  chapter  of  this  epistle 
is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  exhor- 
tations to  the  performance  of  various 
practical  duties.  The  exhortations 
relate  to  the  following  points :  bro- 
therly love,  ver.  1 ;  hospitality,  ver.  2  ; 
sympathy  with  those  in  bonds,  ver. 
3;  fidelity  in  the  marriage  relation, 
ver.  4 ;  contentment,  vs.  5,  G ;  sub- 
mission to  those  in  authority,  vs.  7, 
8 ;  stability  in  the  doctrmcs  of  reli- 
gion, vs.  y — 15  ;  benevolence,  ver.  IG  ; 
obedience  to  those  entrusted  with  of- 
fice, ver.  17;  and  si)ecial  prayer  for 
him  who  wrote  this  epistle,  vs.  18, 19. 
The  epistle  then  closes  with  a  beau- 
tiful and  impressive  benediction,  vs. 
20,  21 ;  with  an  entreaty  that  tliey 
would  receive  with  favour  what  had 
been  written,  ver.  22  ;  with  the  grate- 
ful announcement  that  Timothy,  in 
whom  they  doubtless  felt  a  great  in- 
terest, was  set  at  liberty,  ver.  23  ;  and 
with  a  salutation  to  all  the  saints,  vs. 
24,  25. 

1.  Let  brotherly  love  continue.  Im- 
plying that  it  now  existed  among 
them.  Tiie  apostle  had  no  occasion 
to  reprove  them  for  the  want  of  it,  as 
he  had  in  regard  to  some  to  whom  he 
wrote,  but  he  aims  merely  to  impress 
on  them  the  importance  of  this  vir- 
tue, and  to  caution  them  against  the 
danger  of  allowing  it  ever  to  be  in- 
terrupted.     Sec  Notes  on  John  xiii. 


34. 


2.    Be   not   forgetful   to   entertain 


some  *  have  entertained  angels 
unawares. 

3  Ileniember  them  that  are 

"  b  Ge.  18.  3.  19.  2. 

strangers.  On  the  duty  of  hospital- 
ity, see  a  full  explanation  in  the  Notes 
on  Rom.  xii.  13.  If  For  thereby  some 
have  entertained  angels  unawares. 
Without  knowing  that  they  were  an- 
gels. As  Abraham  (Gen.  xviii.  2, 
seq.),  and  Lot  did.  Gen.  xix.  The 
motive  here  urged  for  doing  it  is,  that 
by  entcrtaniing  the  stranger  we  may 
perhaps  be  honoured  with  the  prS- 
ence  of  those  whose  society  will  be 
to  us  an  honour  and  a  blessing.  It 
is  not  well  for  us  to  miss  the  oppor- 
tunity of  the  presence,  the  conversa- 
tion, and  the  prayers  of  the  good. 
'I'he  influence  of  such  guests  in  a  fam- 
ily is  worth  more  than  it  cdsts  to  en 
tertain  them.  If  there  is  danger  that 
we  may  sometimes  receive  those  of 
an  opposite  character,  yet  it  is  not 
wise  on  account  of  such  possible  dan- 
ger,  to  lose  the  opportunity  of  enter- 
taining those  whose  presence  would 
be  a  blessing.  Many  a  parent  owes 
the  conversion  of  a  child  to  the  infliu- 
cnee  of  a  pious  stranger  in  his  fami 
ly  ;  and  the  hope  that  this  rnay  occur, 
or  that  our  own  souls  may  be  blessed, 
should  make  us  ready,  at  all  proper 
times,  to  welcome  the  feet  of  the 
stranger  to  our  doors.  Many  a  man, 
if  he  had  been  accosted  as  Abraham 
was  at  the  door  of  his  tent  by  stran- 
gers, would  have  turned  them  rudely 
away ;  many  a  one  in  the  situation 
of  Lot  would  have  sent  the  unknown 
guests  rudely  from  his  door ;  but  who 
can  estimate  wiiat  would  have  been 
the  results  of  such  a  course  on  the 
destiny  of  those  good  men  and  their 
flimilics  ?  For  a  great  number  of  in- 
stances in  which  the  heathen  were 
supposed  to  liave  entertained  the  gods, 
though  unknown  to  them,  see  Wet- 
stein  in  loc. 

3.  Remember  them  that  are  in  bonds. 
All  who  are  bound;  whether  prison- 
ers of  war ;  captives  in  dungeons ; 
those   detained   in  custody  for  trial ; 


A.  D.  U.] 


CHAPTER  XUI. 


323 


in  bonds,  "  as  bound  with  them ; 
and  them  which  suffer  adversi- 

a  Mat.  25.  36. 

those  who  are  imprisoned  for  righte- 
ousiiess'  sake  ;  or  tliose  lield  in  slave- 
ry. The  word  used  liere  will  include 
all  instances  where  bonds,  shackles, 
chains  were  ever  used.  Perhaps  there 
is  an  immediate  allusion  to  their  fel- 
low-Christians who  were  suffering 
imprisonment  on  account  of  thrir  re- 
ligion, of  whom  there  were  doubtless 
many  at  that  time,  but  the  principle 
will  apply  to  every  case  of  those  who 
are  imprisoned  or  oppressed.  The 
word  remember  implies  more  than 
that  we  are  merely  to  think  of  them. 
Comp.  Ex.  XX.  8;  Eccl.  xii.  1.  It 
means  that  we  are  to  remember  thein 
wilh  appropriate  sympathy;  or  as  we 
should  wish  others  to  remember  us  if 
we  were  in  their  circumstances.  That 
is,  we  are  (1)  to  feel  deep  compassion 
for  them ;  (2)  we  are  to  remember 
them  in  our  prayers ;  (3)  we  are  to 
remember  them,  as  far  as  practicable, 
with  aid  for  their  relief.  Christianity 
teaches  us  to  sympathize  with  all  the 
oppressed,  the  suffering,  and  tlie  sad  ; 
and  there  are  more  of  tiiis  class  than 
we  commonly  suppose,  and  they  have 
stronger  claims  on  our  sympathy  than 
we  commonly  realize:  In  this  land 
there  are  not  far  from  ten  thousand 
confined  in  prison — the  father  sepa- 
rated from  his  children  ;  the  husband 
from  his  wife ;  the  brother  from  his 
sister ;  and  all  cut  off  from  the  living 
world.  Their  fare  is  coarse,  and  their 
couches  hard,  and  the  ties  which  bound 
them  to  the  living  world  are  rudely 
snapped  asunder.  Many  of  them  are 
in  solitary  dungeons;  all  of  them  arc 
sad  and  melancholy  men.  True,  they 
are  there  for  crime  ;  but  they  are  men 
— they  are  our  brothers.  They  have 
still  the  feelings  of  our  common  hu- 
manity, and  many  of  them  feel  their 
separation  from  wife  and  chikhen  and 
home  as  keenly  as  we  would.  That 
God  who  has  mercifully  made  our  lot 
s  different  from  theirs  has  commanded 
us  to  sympathize  with  them — and  we 
ehould  sympathize  all  the  more  when 


ty,  as  being  yourselves  also  in 
the  body. 


we  remember  that  but  for  his  restrain- 
ing grace  we  should  have  been  in  the 
same  condition.  There  are  in  this 
land  of  'liberty'  also  nearly  three 
millions  who  are  held  in  the  hard 
bondage  of  slavery.  There  is  the 
father,  the  mother,  1  he  child,  the  bro- 
ther, the  sister.  1  hey  are  held  as 
property ;  liable  to  be  sold ;  having 
no  right  to  the  avails  of  their  own 
labour ;  exposed  to  the  danger  of 
having  the  tenderest  ties  sundered  at 
the  will  of  their  mas  ter  ;  shut  out  from 
the  privilege  of  reading  the  Word  of 
God ;  fed  on  coarsj  fare ;  living  in 
wretched  hovels;  a  id  often  subjected 
to  the  painful  infl.  ctions  of  the  lash 
at  the  caprice  of  a  passionate  driver. 
Wives  and  daughters  are  made  the 
victims  of  degrading  sensuality  with- 
out the  power  of  resistance  or  re- 
dress ;  the  security  of  home  is  un- 
knovi'n ;  and  they  are  dependent  on 
the  will  of  another  man  whether  they 
shall  or  shall  not  worship  their  Crea- 
tor. We  should  remember  them,  and 
sympathize  with  them  as  if  they 
were  ovr  fathers,  mothers,  sisters,  bra* 
thers,  or  sons  and  daughters.  Though 
of  different  colour,  yet  the  same  blood 
flows  in  their  veins  as  in  ours  (Acts 
xvii.  26) ;  they  are  bone  of  our  bone, 
and  flesh  of  our  flesh.  By  nature  they 
have  the  same  right  to  '  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness'  Vi^hich 
we  and  our  children  have,  and  to  de- 
prive them  of  that  right  is  as  unjust 
as  it  would  be  to  deprive  us  and  ours 
of  it.  Tliey  have  a  claim  on  our  sym- 
pathy, for  they  are  oui  brethren.  They 
need  it,  for  they  are  poor  and  helpless. 
They  should  have  it,  for  the  same 
God  who  has  kept  us  from  that  hard 
lot  has  commanded  us  to  remember 
them.  That  kind  remembrance  of 
them  should  be  shown  in  every  prac- 
ticable way.  By  prayer ;  by  plans 
contemplating  their  freedom  ;  by  efl 
forts  to  send  tliem  the  gospel ;  by 
diffusing  abroad  the  principles  of  lib- 
erty and  of  the  rights  of  man ;  by  using 


124 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  G4. 


4  Marriage  °  is  honourable 
in  all,  and  the  bed  undefiled  : 
but  *  whoremongers  and  adulte- 
rers God  will  judge, 

a  Pr.  5.  15-23.        ft  1  Co.  6.  9 ;  Re.  22.  15. 

our   influence  to  arouse   the    public 
mind  in  their  behalf,  we  should  en- 
deavour to  relieve  those  who  are  in 
bonds,  and  to  ha.stcn  the  time  when 
*the   oppressed   shall   go    free.'      On 
this   subject    see    Notes   on    Isa.  eh. 
Iviii.  G.  H  As  bound  with  them.    There 
is   great    force    and    beauty  in    this 
expression.      Religion  teaches  us  to 
identify  ourselves   with  all  who  are 
oppressed,  and  to /eel  what  they  suf- 
fer as  if  we  endured  it  ourselves.    In- 
fidelity and  atheis  n  are  cold  and  dis- 
tant.    They  stand  aloof  from  the  op- 
pressed and  the  sad.    But  Christianity 
unites  all  hearts  in  one ;  binds  us  to 
all  the  race,  and  reveals  to  us  in  the 
case  of  each  one  oppressed   and   in- 
jured, a  brother.     ^  And  them  which 
suffer  adversity.   The  word  here  used 
refers  properly  to  those  who  are  mal- 
treated, or  who  are  injured  by  otiiers. 
It  does  not  properly  refer  to  those  who 
merely  experience    calamity.     ^  As 
being  yourselves  also  in  the  body.    As 
being  yourselves  exposed  to  persecu- 
tion and  suffering,  and  liable  to  be 
injured.     That  is,  do  to  them  as  you 
would  wish  them  to  do  to  you  if  you 
■were  the  sufferer.     When  we  see  an 
oppressed  and  injured  man,  we  should 
remember  that  it  is  possible  that  we 
may  be  in  the  same  circumstances, 
and  that  then  we  shall  need  and  de- 
sire the  sympathy  of  others. 

4.  Marriage  is  honourable  in  all. 
The  object  here  is  to  state  that  honour 
is  to  be  shown  to  tiie  marriage  rela- 
tion. It  is  not  to  be  undervalued  by 
the  pretence  of  the  superior  purity  of 
a  state  of  eelibac}',as  if  marriage  were 
improi)er  for  any  class  of  men  or  any 
condition  of  lite ;  and  it  should  not 
be  dishonoured  by  any  violation  of  the 
marriage  contract.  The  course  of 
things  lias  shown  that  there  was  abun- 
dant reason  for  the  apostle  to  assert 
with  emphasis  that '  marriage  was  an 


5  Let  your  conversation  be 
without  covetousness ;  and  be 
contend  with  such  things  as  ye 

c  Mat.  G.  25,  34. 

honourable  condition  of  life.'     There 
has  been  a  constant  effort  made  to 
show  that  celibacy  was  a  more  holy 
state ;    that  there  was  something  in 
marriage  that  rendered  it  dishonour' 
able  for  those  who  were  in  the  min- 
istry, and  for  those  of  either  sex  who 
would  be  eminently  pure.     This  sen- 
timent has  been  the  cause  of  more 
abomination  in  the  world  than  any 
other  single  opinion  claiming  to  have 
a  religious  sanction.     It  is  one  of  the 
supports  on  which  the  Papal  system 
rests,  and  has  been  one  of  the  princi- 
pal  upholders  of  all  the  corruptions 
in  monasteries  and  nunneries.     The 
apostle   asserts,  without  any  restric- 
tion or  qualification,  that  marriage  is 
honourable    in  all ;    and   this  proves 
that  it  is  lawful  for  the  ministers  of 
religion  to  marry,  and  that  the  whole 
doctrine  of  the  superior  purity  of  a 
state  of  celibacy  is   false.     See  this 
subject  examined  in  the  Notes  on  I. 
Cor.  vii.     ^  And  the   bed  undefiled. 
Fidelity  to  tlic  marriage  vow.    IT  But 
ichorcmongers    and    adulterers    God 
will  judge.    All  licentiousness  of  life, 
and  all  violations  of  the  marriage  co- 
venant, will  be  severely  punished  by 
God.  See  Notes  on  I.  Cor.  vi.  9.    The 
sins  here  referred  to  prevailed  every- 
where, and  hence  there  was  the  more 
proi)riety  for  the  frequent  and  solemn 
injunctions  to  avoid  them  which  we 
find  in  the  Scriptures. 

5,  Let  your  conversation.  Your 
conduct — for  so  the  word  conversation 
is  used  in  the  Scriptures.  Notes,  Phil, 
i.  27.  If  Be  without  covetousness. 
Notes  on  Eph.  v.  3  ;  Col.  iii.  5.  H  And 
be  content  with  such  things  as  ve  have. 
See  Notes  on  Phil.  iv.  U,  12';  Matt, 
vi.  25 — 31.  The  particular  reason 
here  given  for  contentment  is,  that 
God  has  promised  never  to  leave  hia 
people.  Compare  with  this  the  beau- 
tiful argument  of  the  Saviour  in  Matt. 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


32S 


have  :  for  he  hath  said,  "  I  will 
never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake 
thee. 

6  So  that  we  may  boldly  say,  * 

a  Ge.  28.  15 ;  De.  31.  6,  8  ;  1  Cli.  28.  20. 
6  Ps.  27.  1. 

vi.  25,  seq.  IT  For  he  hath  said.  That 
is,  God  has  said.  ^  I  will  never  leave 
thee  nor  forsake  thee.  See  Deut.  xxxi. 
6 ;  Josh.  i.  5  ;  I.  Chron.  xxviii.  20. 
Substantially  the  same  expression  is 
found  in  each  of  those  places,  and  all 
of  them  contain  the  principle  on  which 
the  apostle  here  relies,  that  God  will 
not  forsake  his  people. 

6.  So  that  we  may  boldly  say.  With- 
out any  hesitation  or  doubt.  In  all 
times  of  perplexity  and  threatening 
want ;  in  all  times  when  v/e  scarcely 
know  whence  the  supplies  for  our  ne- 
cessities are  to  come,  we  may  put  our 
trust  in  God,  and  be  assured  that  he 
will  not  leave  us  to  suffer.  In  the 
facts  which  occur  under  the  providen- 
tial dealings,  there  is  a  ground  for 
confidence  on  this  subject  which  is 
not  always  exercised  even  by  good 
men.  It  remains  yet  to  be  shown 
that  they  who  exercise  simple  trust 
in  God  for  the  supply  of  their  wants 
are  ever  forsaken.  Comp.  Ps.  xxxvii. 
25.  If  The  Lord  is  my  helper.  Sub- 
stantially this  sentiment  is  found  in 
Ps.  xxvii.  1,  and  Ps.  cxviii.  6.  The 
apostle  does  not  adduce  it  as  a  quota- 
tion, but  as  language  which  a  true 
Christian  may  employ.  The  senti- 
ment is  beautiful,  and  full  of  consola- 
tion. What  can  we  fear  if  we  have 
the  assurance  that  the  Lord  is  on  our 
side,  and  that  he  will  help  us  ?  Man 
can  do  no  more  to  us  than  he  permits, 
and  of  course  no  more  than  will  be 
for  our  own  good ;  and  under  what- 
ever trials  we  may  be  placed,  we  need 
be  under  no  painful  apprehensions, 
for  God  will  be  our  protector  and  our 
friend. 

7.  Remember  them  which  have  the 
rule  over  you.  Marg. '  are  the  guides.^ 
The  word  here  used  means  properly 
leaders,  guides,  directors.  It  is  often 
applied  to  military  commanders.  Here 
28 


The  Lord  is  my  helper,  and  1 
will  not  fear  what  man  shall  do 
unto  me. 

7    Remember    them    which 
'  have  the  rule   over  you,  who 

1  or,  are  the  guides. 


it  means  teachers — appointed  to  lead 
or  guide  them  to  eternal  life.    It  does 
not  refer  to  them  so  much  as  rulers 
or  governors,  as  teachers,  or  guides 
In  ver.  17,  however,  it  is  used  in  the 
former  sense.  The  duty  here  enjoined 
is  that  of  remembering  them  ;  that  is, 
remembering  their  counsel ;  their  in- 
structions ;  their  example.  If  Who  have 
spoken  to  you  the  word  of  God.  Preach- 
ers ;  either  apostles   or   others.     Re- 
spect is  to  be  shown  to  the  ministerial 
office    by    whomsoever    it   is    borne. 
IT  Whose  faith  follow.     That  is,  imi 
tate.  See  Notes  on  ch.  vi.  12.    If  Con 
sidering  the  end  of  their  conversation 
Of  their  conduct ;  of  their  manner  of 
lile.     The  word    here   rendered    '<Ac 
end'—^KJiaais — occurs  only  here  and 
in  I.  Cor.  x.  1 3,  where  it  is  rendered 
•  a  waj/ of  escape.'  It  properly  means, 
a  going  out,  an  egress,  and  is  hence 
spoken  of  as  a  going  out  from  life,  or 
of  an  exit  from   the  world  —  death. 
This  is  probably  the  meaning  here. 
It  does  not  mean,  as  our  translation 
would    seem    to    imply,    that   Jesus 
Christ,  the    same    yesterday,  to-day, 
and  for  ever,  was  the  aim  or  end  for 
which  they  lived — for  the  Greek  will 
not    bear   that  construction ;    but    it 
means  that  they  were  attentively  to 
contemplate  the  end  or  the   issue  of 
tiie  conduct  of  those  holy  teachers — 
the  close  or  going  out  of  all  that  they 
did  ;  to  wit,  in  a  peaceful  death.  Their 
faith  sustained  them.     They  were  en- 
abled   to    persevere    in    a   Christian 
course,  and  did  not  faint  or  fail.  There 
is    allusion,  doubtless,  to   those  who 
had  been  their  religious  instructors, 
and  who  had  died  in  the  faith  of  the 
gospel,   either  by  persecution,  or  by 
an   ordinary  death,  and    the   apostle 
points  to  them  as  examples  of  that  to 
which  he  would  exhort  those  whom 
he  addressed — of  perseverance  in  the 


32G 


iiebrp:\v.s. 


[A.  D.  C4. 


have  spokon  unto  you  the  word 
of  God  :  vvliose  laitli  "  follow, 
considering  tlie  end  of  their 
conversation : 

a  c  6. 13. 


faith  until  death  Tlius  explained, 
this  Verse  docs  not  refer  to  the  duty 
of  Ciiristians  towards  living  teachers, 
but  toward  those  who  arc  dead.  Their 
duty  towards  living  te;icliers  is  en- 
forced in  ver.  17.  Tlic  sentiment  here 
is,  that  the  proper  remembrance  of 
those  novv^  deceased  who  were  once 
our  spiritual  instructors  and  guides, 
should  be  allowed  to  have  an  import- 
ant influence  in  inducing  us  to  lead 
a  holy  life.  We  should  remember 
them  with  affection  and  gratitude ; 
we  should  recal  the  truths  which  they 
taught,  and  the  exliortations  which 
they  addressed  to  us  ;  we  should  che- 
risli  with  kind  affection  the  memory 
of  all  that  they  did  for  our  welfare,  and 
we  should  not  forget  the  effect  of  the 
trutiis  which  they  taught  in  sustaining 
their  own  souls  when  tlicy  died. 

8,  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday, 
&c.  As  this  stands  in  our  common 
translation  it  conveys  an  idea  whicli 
is  not  in  the  original.  It  would  seem 
to  mean  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  un- 
changeable Saviour,  was  the  end  or 
aim  of  the  conduct  of  those  referred 
to,  or  that  they  lived  to  imitate  and 
glorify  him.  But  this  is  by  no  means 
the  meaning  in  the  original.  There  it 
stands  as  an  absolute  proposition,  that 
'  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  for  ever  ;'  that  is,  that 
he  is  unchangeable.  The  evident  de- 
sign of  this  independent  proposition 
here  is,  to  encourage  them  to  perse- 
vere by  showing  tliat  their  Saviour 
was  always  the  same ;  tliat  he  wlio 
had  sustained  his  people  in  former 
times  was  the  same  still,  and  would 
be  the  same  for  ever.  The  argument 
liere,  therefore,  for  perseverance  is 
founded  on  tJie  immutability  of  the 
Redeemer.  If  he  were  fickle,  vacil- 
lating,  changing  in  his  character  and 
plans ;  if  to-day  he  aids  his  people 
and  to-morrow  will  forsake  them ;  if 


8  Jesus  Christ  the  same  * 
yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  for 
ever. 

9  Be 'not  carried  about  with 

b  Re.  1.  4.  c\  Jno.  4.  1. 

at  one  time  he  loves  the  virtuous  and 
at  another  equally  loves  the  vicious 
if  he  formed  a  plan  yesterday  which 
he  has  abandoned  to-day ;  or  if  he  lA 
ever  to  be  a  different  being  from  what 
he  is  now,  there  would  be  no  encou- 
ragement to  effort.  VV^ho  would  knoMT 
what  to  depend  on  ?  Who  would  know 
what  to  expect  to-morrow  ?  For  who 
could  have  any  certainty  that  ha 
could  ever  please  a  capricious  or  9 
Vacillating  being?  Who  could  know 
liow  to  shape  his  conduct  if  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  divine  administration 
were  not  always  the  same  ?  At  the 
same  time,  also,  that  this  passage  fur- 
nishes the  strongest  argument  for 
fidelity  and  perseverance,  it  is  an  irre- 
fragable  proof  of  the  divinity  of  the 
Saviour.  It  asserts  immutability  — 
sameness  in  the  pist,  the  present,  and 
to  all  eternity — but  of  whom  can  this 
be  aflirmed  but  God  ?  It  would  not 
be  possible  to  conceive  of  a  dccla- 
ration  which  would  more  strongly 
assert  immutability  than  this. 

1).  Be  not  carried  about  with  divers 
and  strange  doctrines.  That  is,  they 
should  have  settled  and  fixed  points 
of  belief,  and  not  yield  to  every  new 
opinion  which  was  started.  The  apos- 
tie  does  not  exhort  them  to  adhere  to 
an  opinion  merely  because  they  }iad 
before  held  it,  or  because  it  was  an 
old  opinion,  nor  does  he  forbid  their 
following  the  leadings  of  truth  though 
tliey  might  be  required  to  abandon 
what  they  had  before  held ;  but  he 
cautions  them  against  that  vacillating^ 
spirit,  and  tliat  easy  credulity,  which 
would  lead  them  to  yield  to  any  no- 
velty, and  to  embrace  an  opinion  be- 
cause it  was  new  or  strange.  Probablj 
the  principal  reference  here  is  to  the 
Judaizing  teachers,  and  to  their  va- 
rious doctrines  about  their  ceremonial 
observances  and  traditions.  But  the 
exhorUition  is  applicable  to  Christians 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


327 


divers  and  strange  doctrines : 
for  it  is  a  good  thing  that  the 
heart  be  established  with  grace  ; 
not  with  meats,  which  iiave  not 


at  all  times.  A  religious  opinion, 
once  embraced  on  what  was  reg-arded 
a  good  evidence,  or  in  which  we  have 
been  trained,  should  not  be  abandoned 
for  slight  causes.  Truth  indeed  should 
always  be  followed,  but  it  should  be 
only  after  careful  inquiry.  IT  For  it 
is  a  good  thing  thai  the  heart  be  esta- 
blished with  grace.  This  is  the  proper 
foundation  of  adherence  to  the  truth. 
The  heart  should  be  established  with 
the  love  of  God,  with  pure  religion, 
and  then  we  shall  love  the  trutli,  and 
love  it  in  tlie  right  manner.  If  it  is  the 
head  merely  which  is  convinced,  the 
consequence  is  bigotry,  pride,  narrow- 
mindedness.  If  the  belief  of  the  truth 
has  its  seat  in  the  heart,  it  will  be  ac- 
companied with  charity,  kindness, 
good-will  to  all  men.  In  such  a  be- 
lief of  the  truth  it  is  a  good  thing  to 
have  the  heart  established.  It  will 
produce  (1)  firmness  and  stability  of 
character ;  (2)  charity  and  kindness 
to  others  ;  (.3)  consolation  and  support 
in  trials  and  temptations.  Wiicn  a 
man  is  thrown  into  trials  and  tempta- 
tions, he  ought  to  have  some  settled 
principles  on  which  he  can  rely  ;  some 
fixed  points  of  belief  that  will  sustain 
his  soul.  T  Not  with  meats.  The 
meaning  is,  that  it  is  better  to  have 
the  heart  established  with  grace,  or 
with  the  principles  of  pure  religion, 
than  with  the  most  accurate  know- 
ledge of  the  rules  of  distinguishing 
the  clean  from  tlie  unclean  among  the 
various  articles  of  food.  Many  such 
rules  were  found  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
and  many  more  had  been  added  by 
the  refinements  of  Jewish  rulers  and 
by  tradition.  To  distinguish  and  re- 
member all  these,  required  no  small 
amount  of  knowledg-e,  and  the  Jewish 
teachers,  doubtless,  prided  themselves 
much  on  it.  Paul  says  that  it  would 
be  much  better  to  have  the  principles 
of  grace   in   the  heart  than  all  this 


profited  them  that  have  been 
occupied  therein. 

10  We  have  an  altar,  whereof 
they  have  no  right  to  eat  which 
serve  the  tabernacle. 

knowledge  ;  to  have  the  mind  settled 
on  the  great  truths  of  religion  than 
to  be  able  to  make  the  most  accurate 
and  learned  distinctions  in  this  matter. 
The  same  remark  may  be  made  about 
a  great  many  other  points  besides  the 
Jewish  distinctions  respecting  meats. 
The  principle-  is,  that  it  is  better  to 
have  the  heart  established  in  the  grace 
of  God  than  to  have  the  most  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  distinctions  which 
are  made  on  useless  or  unimportant 
subjects  of  religion.  This  observation 
would  extend  to  many  of  the  shibbo- 
leths of  party ;  to  many  of  the  meta- 
physical distinctions  in  a  hair-split- 
ting theolog}' ;  to  many  of  the  points 
of  controversy  which  divide  the  Chris- 
tian world.  H  Which  have  not  profited, 
&c.  Which  have  been  of  no  real  be- 
nefit to  their  souls.  See  Notes  on  I. 
Cor.  viii.  8. 

10.  We  have  an  altar.  We  who  are 
Christians.  The  Jews  had  an  altar 
on  which  their  sacrifices  were  offered 
which  was  regarded  as  sacred,  and 
of  the  benefit  of  which  no  others  might 
partake.  The  design  of  the  apostle 
is  to  show  that  the  same  thing  sub- 
stantially, so  far  as  privilege  and 
sanctifying  influence  were  concerned, 
was  enjoyed  by  Christians.  The  '  al- 
tar' to  which  he  here  refers  is  evi. 
dently  the  cross  on  which  the  great 
sacrifice  was  made.  H  Whereof  they 
hane  no  right  to  eat  which  serve  the 
tabernacle.  A  part  of  the  meat  offered 
in  sacrifice  among  the  Jews  became 
the  property  of  the  priests  and  Levites, 
and  they  had,  by  the  law,  a  right  to 
this  as  a  part  of  tJieir  support.  See 
Lev.  vi.  25,  2G ;  Num.  xviii.  9,  10. 
But  the  apostle  says  that  there  is  a 
higher  and  more  valuable  sacrifice  of 
wiiich  they  have  no  right  to  partake 
while  they  remain  in  the  service  of 
the  '  tabernacle'  or  temple  ;  that  is, , 
while  they  remain  Jews.     The  parti- 


32S 


ITETIREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


11  For  the  bodies  of  those 
beasts,  whose  blood  is  brought 
into  the  sanctuary  by  the  high 
priest  for  sin,  are  burned  with- 
out" tiie  camp. 

cipjj.tion  in  the  great  Christian  sacri- 
fice appertained  only  to  those  who 
were  tlie  friends  of  the  Redeemer,  and 
however  much  they  might  vahje  them- 
selves on  the  privilege  of  partaking 
of  the  sacritiecs  otfered  under  the 
Jewish  law,  that  of  partaking  of  tiie 
great  sacrifice  made  by  the  Son  of 
God  was  much  greater.  ^  Which  serve 
the  tabernacle.  Notes  eh.  ix.  2,  3.  The 
Jewish  priests  and  Levites. 

]1.  For  the  bodies  of  those  beasts, 
&.C.  The  word  here  rendered  '■for^ — 
■yap — would  be  here  more  properly 
rendered  '  moreover.^  Stuart.  The 
apostle  is  not  urging  a  reason  for  what 
he  had  said  in  the  previous  verse,  but 
is  suggesting  a  new  consideration  to 
excite  those  whom  he  addressed  to 
fidelity  and  perseverance.  In  the  pre- 
vious verse  the  consideration  was, 
that  Christians  are  permitted  to  par- 
take of  the  benefits  of  a  higher  and 
more  perfect  sacrifice  than  the  Jews 
were,  and  therefore  should  not  relapse 
into  that  religion.  In  this  verse  the 
consideration  is,  that  the  bodies  of  the 
beasts  that  were  burnt  were  taken 
without  the  camp,  and  that  in  like 
manner  the  Lord  Jesus  suffered  with- 
out the  gate  of  Jerusalem,  and  that 
we  should  be  willing  to  go  out  with 
him  to  that  sacrifice,  whatever  re- 
proach or  siiame  it  might  be  attended 
with.  If  Whose  blood  is  brought  into 
the  sanctuary,  &,c.  Sec  Notes  on  ch. 
ix.  7.  12.  ^  Are  burned  without  the 
camp.  Lev.  iv.  12.  21 ;  xvi.  27.  The 
'  camp'  here  refers  to  the  time  when 
the  Israelites  were  in  the  wilderness, 
and  lived  in  encampments.  The  same 
custom  was  observed  after  the  temple 
was  built  by  conveying  the  body  of 
tlie  animal  slain  frr  a  sin-otTering  on 
the  great  day  of  atonement  beyond 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem  to  be  consumed 
there.  '  Whatever,'  says  Grotius, '  was 
not  lawful  to  be  done  in  the  campi. 


12  Wherefore  Jesus  also, 
that  he  migiit  sanctify  the  peo- 
ple with  his  own  blood,  suffered 
without''  the  gate. 

a  Lr.  16  27.  6  Jiio.  19.  17.  18. 


afterwards  was  not  lawful  to  be  done 
in  the  city.' 

12.  Wherefore,  Jesus  also,  that  he 
might  sanctify  the  people  with  his  own 
blood.  That  there  might  be  a  con- 
formity between  his  death  for  sin  and 
the  sacrifices  vdiich  typified  it.  It  is 
implied  here  that  it  was  voluntary  on 
the  part  of  Jesus  that  he  suffered  out 
of  the  city ;  that  is,  it  was  so  ordered 
by  Providence  that  it  should  be  so 
This  was  secured  by  his  being  put  to 
death  as  the  result  of  a  judicial  trial, 
and  not  by  popular  tumult.  See  Notes 
on  Isa.  liii.  8.  If  he  had  been  killed 
in  a  tumult,  it  is  possible  that  it  might 
have  been  done  as  in  other  cases 
(comp.  the  case  of  Zacharias  son  of 
Barachias,  Matt,  xxiii.  35),  even  at 
the  altar.  As  he  was  subjected,  how- 
ever, to  a  judicial  process,  his  death 
was  effected  with  more  deliberation, 
and  in  the  usual  form.  Hence  he  was 
conducted  out  of  the  city,  because  no 
criminal  was  executed  within  tho 
walls  of  Jerusalem.  IT  Without  the 
gate.  Without  the  gate  of  Jerusalem. 
John  xix.  17,  18.  The  place  where 
he  was  put  to  death  was  called  Gol- 
gotha, the  place  of  a  scull,  and  hence 
the  Latin  word  which  we  commonly 
use  in  speaking  of  it,  Calvary.  Luke 
xxiii.  33;  comp.  Notes  on  ."Matt,  xxvii. 
33.  Calvary,  as  it  is  now  shown,  is 
within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  but 
there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that 
this  is  the  place  where  the  Lord 
Jesus  was  crucified,  for  that  was  out- 
side of  the  walls  of  the  city.  The 
precise  direction  from  the  city  is  not 
designated  by  the  sacred  writers,  nor 
are  there  any  historical  records,  or 
traditional  marks  by  which  it  can  now 
be  known  where  the  exact  place  was. 
All  that  we  know  on  the  subject  from 
the  New  Testament  is,  that  the  name 
was  Golgotha  ;  that  the  place  of  the 
crucifixion  and  sepulchre  were  near 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  Xm. 


329 


13  Let  us  go  forth  therefore 
unto  him  without  the  camp, 
bearing  "  his  reproach  : 

14  For  here  '  have  we  no 
continuing  city,  but  we  seek 
one  to  come. 


each  other ;  that  they  were  without 
the  gate  and  nigh  to  the  city,  and  that 
they  were  in  a  frequented  spot.  John 
xix.  20.  "  This  would  favour  the  con- 
clusion that  the  place  was  probably 
upon  a  great  road  leading  from  one 
of  the  gates  ;  and  such  a  spot  would 
only  be  found  upon  the  western  or 
northern  sides  of  the  city,  on  the  roads 
leading  towards  Joppa  or  Damascus." 
See  the  question  about  the  place  of 
the  crucitixion  examined  at  length  in 
Robinson's  Bibli.  Research.,  vol.  ii. 
pp.  69 — 80,  and  Bibliotheca  Sacra, 
No.  1. 

13.  Let  us  go  forth  therefore  unto 
him,  without  the  camp.'  As  if  we 
were  going  forth  with  him  when  he 
was  led  away  to  be  crucified.  He 
was  put  to  death  as  a  malefactor.  He 
was  the  object  of  contempt  and  scorn. 
He  was  held  up  to  derision,  and  was 
taunted  and  reviled  on  his  way  to 
the  place  of  death,  and  even  on  the 
cross.  To  be  identified  with  him 
there  ;  to  follow  him  ;  to  sympathize 
with  him ;  to  be  regarded  as  his 
friend,  would  have  subjected  one  to 
similar  shame  and  reproach.  The 
meaning  here  is,  that  we  should  be 
willing  to  regard  ourselves  as  identi- 
fied with  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  to  bear 
the  same  shame  and  reproaches  which 
he  did.  When  he  was  led  away 
amidst  scoffing  and  reviling  to  be  put 
to  death,  would  we,  if  we  had  been 
there,  been  willing  to  be  regardisd 
as  his  followers,  and  to  have  gone 
out  with  him  as  his  avowed  disci- 
ples and  friends  ?  Alas,  how  many 
are  there  wlio  profess  to  love  him 
when  religion  subjects  them  to  no  re- 
proach, who  would  have  shrunk  from 
following  him  to  Calvary  !  IT  Bearing 
his  reproach.  Sympathizing  with  him ; 
or  bearing  such  reproach  as  he  did. 
28* 


15  By  him '  therefore  let  us 
offer  the  sacrifice  of  praise  to 
God  continually,  that  is,  tiie 
fruit  ''  of  ovr  lips,  '  giving 
thanks  to  his  name. 

c  Ep.  5.  20 


a  Ac.  5.  41 
d  Ho.  14.  2, 


b  Mi.  2.  10. 
1  confessijtg: 


See  I.  Pet.  iv.  13.     Comp.  Notes  on 
ch.  xii.  2  ;  Phil.  iii.  10  ;  Col.  1.  24. 

14.  For  here  we  have  no  continuing 
city,  &c.  We  do  not  regard  this  as 
our  final  home,  or  our  fbced  abode, 
and  we  should  be  willing  to  bear  re- 
proaches during  the  little  time  that 
we  are  to  remain  here.  Comp.  Notes, 
ch.  xi.  10.  13,  14.  If,  therefore,  in 
consequence  of  our  professed  attach- 
ment to  the  Savioui',  we  should  be 
driven  away  from  our  habitations, 
and  compelled  to  wander,  we  should  - 
be  willing  to  submit  to  it,  for  our  per- 
manent home  is  not  here,  but  in  hea- 
ven. The  object  of  the  writer  seems 
to  be  to  comfort  the  Hebrew  Chris- 
tians on  the  supposition  that  they 
would  be  driven  by  persecution  from 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  and  doomed  to 
wander  as  exiles.  He  tells  them  that 
their  Lord  was  led  from  that  city  to 
be  put  to  death,  and  they  should  be 
willing  to  go  forth  also ;  that  their 
permanent  home  was  not  Jerusalem, 
but  heaven,  and  they  should  be  will- 
ing in  view  of  that  blessed  abode  to 
be  exiled  from  the  city  where  they 
dwelt,  and  made  wanderers  in  tho 
earth. 

15.  By  him,  therefore.  The  Jews 
approached  God  by  the  blood  of  the 
sacrifice  and  by  the  ministry  of  their 
high  priest.  The  exhortation  of  the 
apostle  here  is  founded  on  the  general 
course  of  argument  in  the  epistle. 
'  In  view  of  all  the  considerations 
presented  respecting  the  Christian 
High  Priest — his  dignity,  purity,  and 
love ;  his  sacrifice  and  his  interces- 
sion,  let  us  persevere  in  offering 
through  liim  praise  to  God.'  That  is, 
let  us  persevere  in  adherence  to  our 
religion.  IT  The  sacrifice  of  praise. 
For  all  the  mercies  of  redemption. 
The  Jews,  says  Rosenmiiller  (Alte  u. 


SJO 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


IG  But  to  do  good,  and  to 
communicate,  •  forget  not :  for 
with  such  *  sacrifices  God  is 
well  pleased. 

17  Obey  '  them  that  have 
the  rule  over  you,  and   submit 

a  Ro.  ii.  13.     ft  Pli.  4.  18.    c  1  Tli.  5.  12,  13. 

ncue  Morgenland,  in  loc),  had  a  spe- 
cies of  offering's  wliicli  they  called 
peacf-offtringSyOTfriendship-oJf Brings. 
They  were  designed  not  to  produce 
peace  or  fricndsliip  with  God,  but  to 
preserve  it.  Burnt-offerings,  sin-offer- 
ings, and  trespass-offerings,  were  all 
on  account  of  transgression,  and  were 
designed  to  remove  transgression. 
But  in  their  peace-offerings,  the 
offerer  was  regarded  as  one  who 
stood  in  the  relation  of  a  friend  with 
God,  and  tlic  oblation  was  a  sign  of 
thankful  acknowledgment  for  favours 
received,  or  they  were  conncctedswith 
vows  in  order  that  further  blessings 
might  be  obtained,  or  they  were 
brouglit  voluntarily  as  a  means  to 
continue  themselves  in  the  friendship 
and  favour  of  God.  Lev.  vii.  11,  12. 
Comp.  Jenning's  Jew.  Ant.  i.  335. 
^  TItat  is,  the  fruit  of  our  lips.  The 
phrase  '  fruit  of  the  lips,'  is  a  Hebra- 
ism, meaning  what  the  lips  produce  ; 
that  is,  words.  Comp.  Prov.  xviii.  20; 
Hos.  xiv.  2.  T  Giving  thanks  to  his 
name.  To  God  ;  the  name  of  one 
being  often  put  for  the  person  him- 
Belf.  Praise  now  is  one  of  the  great 
duties  of  tlie  redeemed.  It  will  be 
their  employment  for  ever. 

16.  But  to  do  good,  and  to  commu- 
nicate, forget  not.  To  communicate 
or  impart  to  others  ;  that  is,  to  share 
with  them  what  wc  have.  The  Greek 
word  means  having  in  common  with 
others.  The  meaning  is,  that  they 
were  to  show  liberality  to  those  who 
were  in  want,  and  were  to  take  spe- 
cial pains  not  to  forget  this  duty 
We  are  prone  to  think  constantly  of 
our  own  interests,  and  there  is  great 
danger  of  forgetting  the  duty  wliich 
we  owe  to  tlie  poor  and  the  needy.  On 
the  duty  here  enjoined,  see  Notes  on 
Gal.  vi.  10.     ^  For  with  such  sacriji- 


yourselves:  for  they  watch ^ for 
your  souls,  as  they  that  must 
give  account:  that  they  may  do 
it  with  joy,  and  not  with  grief  : 
for  that  is  unprofitable  for 
you. 

1  or,  guide.  d  Eze.  3.  17. 


ces  God  is  well  pleased.  He  is  pleased 
with  the  sacrifices  of  praj'er  and  of 
praise;  with  the  offerings  of  a  broken 
and  a  contrite  heart ;  but  he  is  espe- 
cially pleased  with  the  religion  which 
leads  us  to  do  good  to  others.  This 
was  eminently  the  religion  of  his  Son, 
the  Lord  Jesus  ;  end  to  tliis  all  true 
religion  prompts.  The  word  'sacri- 
fices' here  is  not  taken  in  a  strict 
sense,  as  denoting  that  which  is  offer- 
ed as  an  expiation  for  sin,  or  in  the 
sense  that  we  are  by  doing  good  to 
attempt  to  make  atonement  for  our 
transgressions,  but  in  the  general 
sense  of  an  offering  made  to  God. 
God  is  pleased  with  this,  (1)  because 
it  shows  in  us  a  right  state  of  heart ; 
(2)  because  it  accords  with  his  own 
nature.  He  does  good  continually, 
and  he  is  pleased  with  all  who  evince 
the  same  spirit. 

17.  Obey  them  that  have  the  rule 
over  you.  Marg.  guide.  See  Notes 
on  ver.  7.  The  reference  here  is  to 
their  religious  teachers,  and  not  to  civil 
ralers.  They  were  to  show  thera 
proper  respect,  and  to  submit  to  their 
authority  in  tJie  cinirch,  so  far  as  it 
was  administered  in  accordance  with 
the  precepts  of  the  Saviour.  Tlie  ob- 
ligation to  obedience  docs  not,  of 
course,  extend  to  anything  which  is 
wrong  in  itself,  or  which  would  bo  a 
violation  of  conscience.  The  doctrine 
is,  tliat  subordination  is  necessary  to 
the  welfare  of  the  church,  and  that 
there  ought  to  be  a  disposition  to  yield 
all  proper  obedience  to  those  wlio  are 
set  over  us  in  the  Lord.  Comp.  Notes 
on  L  Thcss.  v.  12,  13.  IT  And  submit 
yourselves.  That  is,  to  all  which  they 
enjoin  tliat  is  lawful  and  right.  Tiiero 
are  in  relation  to  a  society  (1.)  those 
things  which  God  has  positively  com- 
raandcd — which  are  always  to  be 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


331 


18  Pray  for  us  :  for  we  trust 
we  have  a  good  conscience,  "  in 
all  things  willing  to  live  ho- 
nestly. 

obeyed.  (2.)  Many  things  which 
have  been  agreed  on  by  the  society 
as  needtul  for  its  welfare — and  these 
are  to  be  submitted  to  unless  they 
violate  the  rights  of  conscience  ;  and 
(3.)  many  things  which  are,  in  tiiem- 
selves,  a  matter  of  no  express  divine 
command,  and  of  no  formal  enactment 
by  tlie  comnmnity.  They  are  matters 
of  convenience ;  things  that  tend  to 
the  order  and  harmony  of  the  com- 
munity, and  of  the  propriety  of  these, 
*  rulers'  in  the  church  and  elsewhere 
should  be  allowed  to  judge,  and  we 
should  submit  to  them  patiently. 
Hence  in  the  church,  we  are  to  sub- 
mit to  all  the  proper  regulations  for 
conducting  public  worship ;  for  the 
promotion  of  religion  ;  and  for  the 
administration  of  discipline.  IT  For 
they  ivatchfor  your  souls.  They  have 
no  selfish  aim  in  this.  They  do  not 
seek  '  to  lord  it  over  God's  heritage.' 
It  is  for  your  own  good  that  they  do 
this,  and  you  should  therefore  submit 
to  these  arrangements.  And  this 
shows,  also,  the  true  principle  on 
which  authority  should  be  exercised 
in  a  church.  It  should  be  in  such  a 
way  as  to  promote  the  salvation  of  the 
people ;  and  all  the  arrangements 
should  be  with  that  end.  The  mea- 
sures adopted,  therefore,  and  the  obe- 
dience enjoined,  should  not  be  arbi- 
trary, oppressive,  or  severe,  but  should 
be  such  as  will  really  promote  salva- 
tion. IT  As  they  that  must  give  ac- 
count. To  God,  The  ministers  of 
religion  must  give  account  to  God  for 
their  fidelity.  For  all  that  they  teach, 
and  for  every  measure  which  they 
adopt,  they  must  soon  be  called  into 
judgment.  There  is,  therefore,  the 
best  security  that  under  the  influence 
of  this  solemn  truth  they  will  pursue 
only  that  course  which  will  be  for 
your  good.  IT  That  they  may  do  it 
with  joy,  and  not  with  grief.  Gr.  in) 
vTcvd^ovTcs — not  sighing,  or  groaning; 


19  But  I  beseech  you  the 
rather  to  do  this,  that  I  may  be 
restored  to  you  the  sooner. 

o  Ac.  24.  16. 

as  they  would  who  had  been  unsue- 
cessful.  The  meaning  is,  that  they 
should  so  obey,  that  when  their  teach- 
ers came  to  give  up  their  account 
they  need  not  do  it  with  sorrow  over 
their  perverseness  and  disobedience. 
If  For  this  is  unprojitablefor  you.  That 
is,  their  giving  up  their  account  iu 
that  manner — as  unsuccessful  in  their 
efforts  to  save  j-ou — would  not  be  of 
advantage  to  you,  but  would  be  highly 
injurious.  I'his  is  a  strong  mode  of 
expressing  the  idea  that  it  must  be 
attended  with  imminent  peril  to  their 
souls  to  have  their  religious  teachers 
go  and  give  an  account  against 
them.  As  they  would  wish,  there- 
fore, to  avoid  that,  they  should  render 
to  them  all  proper  honour  and  obe- 
dience. 

18.  Pray  for  us.  This  is  a  request 
which  the  apostle  often  makes  in  his 
own  behalf  and  in  behalf  of  his  fellow- 
labourers  in  the  gospel.  See  I.  Thes. 
v.  25.  Notes,  Eph.  vi.  18,  19.  IT  For 
we  trust  we  have  a  good  conscience, 
&c.  See  Notes  on  Acts  xxiv.  16. 
The  apostle  here  appeals  to  the  up- 
rightness of  his  Christian  life  as  a 
reason  why  he  might  claim  their 
sympathy.  He  was  conscious  of  an 
aim  to  do  good  ;  he  sought  the  welfare 
of  the  church;  and  having  this  aim  he 
felt  that  he  might  appeal  to  the  sym- 
pathy of  all  Christians  in  his  behalf. 
It  is  only  when  we  aim  to  do  right, 
and  to  maintain  a  good  conscience, 
that  we  can  with  propriety  ask  the 
prayers  of  others,  or  claim  their  sym- 
pathy. And  if  we  are  '  willing  in  all 
things  to  live  honestly,'  we  may  ex- 
pect the  sympathy,  the  prayers,  and 
the  affections  of  all  good  men. 

19.  That  I  may  be  restored  to  you 
the  sooner.  It  is  here  clearly  implied 
that  the  writer  was  deterred  from 
visiting  them  by  some  adverse  cir 
cumstances  over  which  he  had  nc 
control.   This  might  be  either  by  im 


332 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


20  Now  the  God  "  of  peace, 
that  *  brougljt  again  from  the 
dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  great 
Shepherd 'of  the  sheep, ''through 
the  blood  of  the  everlasting  ' 
covenant. 


a  1  Th.  5.  23. 
e  Eze.  34.  23. 
1  tentament. 


b  I  Pe.  1.21. 
d  Zee.  9.  11. 


prisoiinient,  or  sickness,  or  the  want 
of  a  convenient  opportunity  of  reach- 
ing them.  The  probability  is,  judg- 
ing particularly  from  the  statement 
in  ver.  23,  that  he  was  then  a  prisoner, 
and  that  his  detention  was  on  that 
account.  See  Intro.  §  4.  (6.)  The 
language  here  is  such  as  Paul  would 
use  on  the  supposition  that  he  was 
then  a  prisoner  at  Rome,  and  this  is 
a  slight  circumstance  going  to  show 
,the  probability  that  the  epistle  was 
composed  by  him. 

20.  Now  the  God  of  peace.  God 
who  is  the  Author,  or  the  source  of 
peace.  Notes,  I.  Thess.  v.  23.  The 
word  peace  in  the  New  Testament  is 
used  to  denote  every  kind  of  blessing 
or  happiness.  It  is  opposed  to  all  that 
would  disturb  or  trouble  the  mind, 
and  may  refer,  therefore,  to  recon- 
ciliation with  God  ;  to  a  quiet  con- 
science ;  to  the  evidence  of  pardoned 
sin ;  to  health  and  prosperity,  and  to 
the  hope  of  heaven.  See  Notes  on 
John  xiv.  27.  IT  That  brought  again 
from  the  dead  our  LordJesus.  Notes, 
Acts  ii.  32 ;  I.  Cor.  xv.  15.  It  is  only 
by  the  fact  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  that  we  have  peace,  for  it 
is  only  by  him  that  we  have  the  pros- 
pect of  an  admission  into  heaven.  IT 
That  great  shepherd  of  the  sheep. 
Notes,  John  x.  1.  14.  The  idea  here 
is,  that  it  is  through  the  tender  care 
of  that  great  Shepherd  that  true  hap- 
piness is  bestowed  on  the  people  of 
God.  IT  Through  the  blood  of  the  ever- 
lasting covenant.  The  blood  shed  to 
ratify  the  everlasting  covenant  that 
God  makes  with  his  people.  Notes, 
ch.  ix.  14 — 23.  Tills  phrase,  in  the 
original,  is  not  connected,  as  it  is  in 
our  t'anslation,  with  his  being  raised 


21  Make  you  perfect '  in  eve- 
ry good  work  to  do  his  will,  * 
working  ^  in  you  that  which 
is  well-pleasing  in  his  sight, 
through  Jesus  Christ ;  to  whom 
be  glory  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen. 


e  1  Pe.  5.  10. 

/  Ph.  2.  13. 


2  or,  doing. 


from  the  dead,  nor  should  it  be  so 
rendered,  for  what  can  be  the  sense 
of  '  raising  Christ  from  the  dead  by 
the  blood  of  the  covenant  V  In  the 
Greek  it  is,  '  The  God  of  peace,  who 
brought  again  from  the  dead  the 
shepherd  of  the  sheep,  great  by  the 
blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  our 
Lord  Jesus,'  &,c.  The  meaning  is, 
that  he  was  made  or  constituted  the 
great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep  —  the 
great  Lord  and  Ruler  of  his  people, 
by  that  blood.  That  which  makes 
him  soeminently'distinguished  ;  that 
by  which  he  was  made  superior  to  all 
others  who  ever  ruled  over  the  people 
of  God,  was  the  fact  that  he  otfered 
the  blood  by  which  the  eternal  cove- 
nant was  ratified.  It  is  called  ever- 
lasting or  eternal,  because  (1)  it  was 
formed  in  the  councils  of  eternity,  or 
has  been  an  eternal  plan  in  the  divine 
mind ;  and  (2)  because  it  is  to  con- 
tinue for  ever.  Through  such  a  cove- 
nant God  can  bestow  permanent  and 
solid  '  peace'  on  his  people,  for  it  lays 
the  foundation  of  the  assurance  of 
eternal  happiness. 

21.  Make  you  perfect.  The  apos- 
tle here  does  not  affirm  that  tliey  were 
then  perfect,  or  that  they  would  be 
in  this  life.  The  word  here  used — 
KOTapr^u) — means  to  make  fully  ready, 
to  put  in  full  order;  to  make  com. 
plele.  The  meaning  hero  is,  that  Paul 
prayed  that  God  would  fully  endow 
them  with  wh.atever  grace  was  neces- 
sary  to  do  iiis  will  and  to  keep  his 
commandments.  See  the  word  ex- 
plained in  the  Notes  on  ch.  xi.  3.  It 
is  an  appropriate  prayer  to  be  otfered 
at  all  times,  and  by  all  who  lovo  the 
church,  that  God  would  make  all  hia 
people  perfectly  qualified  to  do  all  hi» 


A.  D»  C4.] 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


333 


22  And  I  beseech  you,  bre- 
thren, suffer  the  word  of  exhor- 
tation :  for  I  have  written  a  let- 
ter unto  you  in  few  words. 

will.  T  Working  in  you,  Marg-.  Do- 
ing. The  idea  here  is,  that  the  only 
hope  that  they  would  do  the  will  of 
God  was,  that  he  would,  by  his  own 
agency,  cause  them  to  do  what  was 
well-pleasing-  in  his  sight.  Comp. 
Notes  on  Phil.  ii.  12.  It  is  not  from 
any  expectation  that  man  would  do 
it  himself.  IT  Through  Jesus  Christ. 
The  idea  is,  that  God  does  not  direct- 
ly and  by  his  own  immediate  agency 
convert  and  sanctify  the  heart,  but  it 
is  through  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and 
all  good  influences  on  the  soul  must 
be  expected  through  the  Saviour.  ^ 
To  whom  he  glory  for  ever  and  ever. 
That  is,  to  Christ ;  for  so  the  connex- 
ion evidently  demands.  It  is  not  un- 
common for  the  apostle  Paul  to  intro- 
duce doxologies  in  this  way  in  the 
midst  of  a  letter.  See  Notes  Rom. 
ix.  5.  It  was  common  among  the 
Jews,  as  it  is  now  in  the  writings  and 
conversation  of  the  Mohammedans, 
when  the  name  of  God  was  mention- 
ed to  accompany  it  with  an  expres- 
sion of  praise. 

22.  Suffer  the  word  of  exhortation. 
Referring  to  the  arguments  and  comi- 
sels  in  this  whole  epistle,  which  is  in 
fact  a  practical  exhortation  to  perse- 
veraiice  in  adhering  to  the  Christian 
religion  amidst  all  the  temptations 
which  existed  to  apostasy.  IT  For  I 
have  written  a  letter  unto  you  in  few 
words.  This  does  not  mean  that  this 
epistle  is  short  compared  with  the 
others  that  the  author  had  written, 
for  most  of  the  epistles  of  Paul  are 
shorter  than  this.  But  it  means,  that 
it  was  brief  compared  with  the  im- 
portance and  difficulty  of  the  subjects 
of  which  he  had  treated.  The  topics 
introduced  would  have  allowed  a  much 
more  extended  discussion,  but  in 
handling  them  he  had  made  use  of 
as  few  words  as  possible.  No  one 
can  deny  this  who  considers  the  sen- 
tentious  manner  of  this  epistle.     Ab 


23  Know  ye  that  otir  brothei 
Timothy  is  set  at  liberty  ;  with 
whom,  if  he  come  shortly,  I  will 
see  you. 


an  illustration  of  this,  perhaps  we 
may  remark,  that  it  is  easy  to  expand 
the  thoughts  of  this  epistle  into  am- 
pie  volumes  of  exposition,  and  that 
in  fact  it  is  difficult  to  give  an  expla- 
nation of  it  without  a  commentary 
that  shall  greatly  surpass  in  extent 
the  text.  None  can  doubt,  also,  that 
the  author  of  this  epistle  could  have 
himself  greatly  expanded  the  thoughts 
and  the  illustrations  if  he  had  chosen. 
It  is  with  reference  to  such  considera- 
tions, probably,  that  he  says  that  the 
epistle  was  brief, 

23.  Know  ye  that  our  brother  Tim- 
othy  is  set  at  liberty.  Or,  is  sent  away. 
So  it  is  rendered  by  Prof.  Stuart,  and 
others.  On  the  meaning  of  this,  and 
its  importance  in  determining  who 
was  the  author  of  the  epistle,  see  the 
Intro.  §  2,  (5)  4,  and  Prof  Stuart's 
Intro.  §  19.  This  is  a  strong  circum- 
stance showing  that  Paul  was  the  au- 
thor of  the  epistle,  for  from  the  first 
acquaintance  of  Timothy  with  Paul 
he  is  represented  as.  his  constant  com- 
panion, and  spoken  of  as  a  brother. 
Notes  II.  Cor.  i.  1 ;  Phil.  i.  1 ;  Col. 
i.  1 ;  Phil.  i.  There  is  no  other  one 
of  the  apostles  who  would  so  natu. 
rally  have  used  this  term  respecting 
Timothy,  and  this  kind  mention  is 
made  of  him  here  because  he  was  so 
dear  to  the  heart  of  the  writer,  and 
because  he  felt  that  they  to  whom  he 
wrote  would  also  feel  an  interest  in 
his  circumstances.  As  to  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word  rendered  '  set  at  lib- 
erty'—  aTToXcXvuivov — there  has  been 
much  difference  of  opinion,  whether 
it  means  '  set  at  liberty  from  confine- 
ment,' or  '  sent  away  on  some  mes- 
sage to  some  other  place.'  That  the 
latter  is  the  meaning  of  the  expres- 
sion appears  probable  from  these  con- 
siderations.  (1.)  The  connexion  seems 
to  demand  it.  The  writer  speaks  of 
him  as  if  he  were  now  away,  and  as 
if  he  hoped  that  he  might  soon  re- 


334 


HEBREWS. 


[A.  D.  64. 


24  Salute  all  them  that  have 
(ne  rule  over  you,  and  all  the 
saints.  They  of  Italy  salute 
you. 


turn.   '  With  whom,  if  he  come  short- 
ly, I  will  see  you.'     This  is  language 
which  would  be  used  rather  of  one 
who  had  been  sent  on  some  embassy 
tiian    of  one  who  was  just  released 
from  prison.     At  all  events,  lie  was 
at  this    lime   away,   and    there    was 
some  expectation  tliat  lie  might  soon 
return.     But  on  the  supposition  that 
the  expression  relates  to  release  from 
imprisonment,  tiiere  would  be  an  en- 
tire incongruity  in  the  language.     It 
is  not,  as  we  should    tlien    suppose, 
'  our  brother  Timothy  is  now  released 
from  prison,  and  therefore  I  will  come 
soon   with    him    and    see   you;'  but, 
'our    brother   Timothy  is    now    sent 
away,  and  if  he  return  soon,  I  will 
come  with  him  to  you.'     (2.)   In  Phil, 
ii.  19.  23,  Paul,  then   a  prisoner  at 
Rome,  speaks  of  the  hope  which  he 
entertained  that  he  would  be  able  to 
Bend  Timothy  to  then),  as  soon  as  he 
ehould   know  how  it  would  go  with 
him.     He  designed  to  retain  him  un- 
til that  point  was  settled,  as  his  pres- 
ence with  him  would   be   important 
until  then,  and  then  to  send  him  to 
give   consolation  to  the  Philippians, 
and  to  look  into  the  condition  of  the 
church.     Now  the  passage  before  us 
agrees  well  with  the  supposition  that 
that  event  had  occurred — that  Paul 
had  ascertained  with  sufficient  clcar- 
licss  that  he  would  be  released  so  that 
he   might  be   permitted  yet  to  visit 
the  Hebrew  Christiana ;  that  he  had 
ecnt  Timothy   to   Philippi    and   was 
waiting  for  his  return ;  that  as  soon 
as  he  sboutd  return  he  would  be  pre- 
pared to  visit  them ;  and  that  in  the 
mean  time,  while  Timothy  was  ab- 
eent,  he  wrote  to  them  this   epistle. 
(3.)  The  supposition  agrees  well  with 
the  meaning  of  the  word  here  used — 
anoXvdi.     It   denotes    properly,  to  let 
loose  from;  to  loosen;  to  unbind;  to 
release,  to  let  go  free ;  to  put  away 
or  divorce ;  to  dismiae  simply,  or  let 


25  Grace  be  with   you   all. 
Amen. 

Written  to  the  Hebrews  from 
Italy  by  Timothy. 

go,  or  send  away.  See  Matt.  xiv.  15. 
22.  23 ;  XV.  32.  39 ;  Luke  ix.  12,  et 
al.  Conip.  Rob.  Lex.  and  Stuart's  In- 
tro. §  19.  The  meaning,  then,  I  take 
to  be  this,  that  Timothy  was  then 
sent  away  on  some  important  embas. 
sage ;  that  the  apostle  expected  hrs 
speedy  return  ;  and  that  then  he  trust- 
ed that  he  would  be  able  with  him  to 
visit  those  to  whom  this  epistle  was 
written. 

24.  Salute  all  them.  See  Notes  oa 
Rom.  xvi.  3,  scq.  It  was  customary 
for  the  apostle  Paul  to  close  his  epis- 
tles with  an  afFcctionate  salutation, 
ir  That  have  the  rule  over  you.  Notes 
vs.  7.  17.  None  are  mentioned  by 
name,  as  is  usual  in  the  epistles  of 
Paul.  The  cause  of  this  omission  is 
unknown.  ^  And  all  the  saints.  The 
common  name  given  to  Christians  in 
the  Scriptures.  See  Notes  on  Rom, 
i.  7,    ^  T^i^y  of  Italy  salute  you.   The 

'  saints  or  Christians  in  Italy.     Show- 
\  ing  that  the  writer  of  the  epistle  was 

then  in  Italy.     He  was  probably  in 

Rome.     See  the  Intro.  §  2. 

25.  Grace  be  with  you  all.  Notes 
Rom.  xvi.  20.  33, 

The  subscription  at  the  close  of 
the  epistle,  '  written  to  the  Hebrews 
from  Italy  by  Timothy,'  like  the  other  ^ 
subscriptions,  is  of  no  authority.  See 
I  Notes  at  the  end  of  I  Cor.  It  is  de- 
monstrably erroneous  here,  for  it  is 
expressly  said  by  the  author  of  the 
epistle  that  at  the  time  he  wrote  it, 
Timothy  was  absent.  Ch.  xiii.  23. 
In  regard  to  the  time  and  place  of 
writing  it,  see  the  Intro.  §  4. 

At  the  close  of  tliis  exposition,  it  is 

not  improper  to  refer  the  reader  to  the 

remarks  on  its  design  at  the  end  of 

the  Introduction,  ^  6.     Having  pass- 

,  ed  through   the  exposition,  we   may 

I  see  more  clearly  the  importance  of 

the  views  there  presented.     There  is 

j  no  book  of  the  New  Testament  more 

;  important  than   this,  and  of  course 


A.  D.  64.] 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


335 


none  whose  want  would  be  more  per-  ] 
ceptible  in  the  canon  of  tlie  Scriptures. 
Every  reader  of  the  Old  Testament 
needs  such   a  guide   as  this  epistle, 
written  by  some  one  who  had  an  inti- 
mate   acquaintance    from    childhood 
with  the  Jewish  system  ;  who  had  all 
the  advantages  of  the  most  able  and 
faithful  instruction,  and  who  was  un- 
der   the    influence    of  inspiration,  to 
make  us  acquainted  with  the  true  na- 
ture of  those    institutions.     Nothing 
was  more  important  than  to  settle  the 
principles  in  regard  to  the  nature  of 
the  Jewish  economy ;  to  show  what 
was  typical,  and  how  those  institu- 
tions were  the  means  of  introducing 
a  far  more  perfect  system — the  sys- 
tem of  the  Christian  religion.     If  we 
hate  right  feelings,  we  shall  have  sin- 
cere gratitude  to  God  that  he  caused 
the  Christian  religion  to  be  prefigured 
by  a  system  in  itself  so  magnificent 
and  grand  as  that  of  the  Jewish,  and 
higher  gratitude  for  that  sublime  sys- 
tem of  religion  of  which  the  Jewish, 
with  all  its  splendour,  was  only  the 
shadow.     There  was  much  that  was 
beautillil,  cheering,  and   sublime   in 
the  Jewish  system.   There  was  much 
that  was  grand  and  awful  in  the  giv. 
ing  of  the  law,  and  much  that  was 
'  imposing  in  its  ceremonies.     In  its 
palmy  and  pure  days,  it  was  incom- 
parably the  purest  and  noblest  system 
of  religion  then  on  earth.     It  taught 
the  knowledge  of  the  one  true  God  ; 
inculcated  a  pure  system  of  morals ; 
preserved  the  record  of  the  truth  on 


the  earth,  and  held  up  constantly  be- 
fore man  the  hope  of  a  better  system 
still  in  days  to  come.     But  it  was  ex- 
pensive, burdensome,   precise   in   its 
prescriptions,  and  wearisome  in  its 
ceremonies.     Acts   xv.   10.      It    was 
adapted  to  one  people — a  people  who 
occupied  a  small  territory,  and  who 
could    conveniently   assemble   at  the 
central  place  of  their  worship  three 
times  in  a  year.    It  was  not  a  system 
adapted  to  the  whole  world  ;  nor  was 
it  designed  for  the  whole  world.  When 
the  Saviour  came,  therefore,  to  intro- 
duce  whom  was  the  design  of  the  Jew- 
ish economy,  it  ceased  as  a  matter  of 
course.     The  Jewish  altars  were  soon 
thrown  down  ;  the  temple  was  rased 
to  the  ground,  and  the  city  of  their 
solemnities  was  destroyed.    The  reli- 
gion of  the  Hebrews  passed  away  to 
be  revived  no  more  in  its  splendour 
and  power,  and    it   has   never   liv«d 
since,  except  as  an  empty  form. 

This  epistle  teaches  us  why  it  pass- 
ed away,  and  why  it  can  never  be 
restored.  It  is  the  true  key  with 
which  to  unlock  the  Old  Testament ; 
and  with  these  views,  we  may  remark 
in  conclusion,  that  he  who  would  un- 
derstand the  Bible  thoroughly  should 
make  himself  familiar  with  this  epis-. 
tie ;  that  the  canon  of  Scripture  would 
be  incomplete  without  it ;  and  tiiat, 
to  one  who  wishes  to  understand  the 
Revelation  which  God  has  given,  there 
is  no  portion  of  the  volume  whose  loss 
would  be  a  more  irreparable  calamity 
than  that  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews. 


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